The Charity Event
by Rei Kiri
Summary: Every year the military holds a competition of the most profiting charity event planned by the different departments. Roy never bothers to participate, but this year there's a prize... and he wants it. Eventual EdxRoy
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I know this is not my regular style, but I wanted to try something new. Plus, this idea came up while me and my friend were drunk and were watching Rocky Horror Picture Show, and so two monsters were born: this thing, and the Avengers Rocky Horror Picture Show she is writing. We took it to different places, and I have no idea how well this will go, but I don't think I've ever written in the "humor" genre and I never wrote anything even remotely crossoverish so this is a first in many aspects... I hope I won't disappoint, but what the hell, I'm having fun, and this is only the beginning.

Sorry for long Author Notes but I felt like I needed to say that.

Thanks to my friend Darya who, as always, took the time to beta my work to make it more presentable to you guys :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Rocky Horror Picture Show nor Fullmetal Alchemist and it's characters.

* * *

**Prologue**

.

It seemed to be just another regular day at the office. Too much boring, made-up work to do, useless documents to sign, annoying subordinates to deal with and a schedule filled with meetings.

Colonel Roy Mustang was currently on his way to one of these meetings; they were usually nothing more than boring discussions, a challenge for his ability to stay awake while being bored to death. However, they were an integral part of his job as an officer, and he had to sit through it and keep his complaints to himself.

He arrived at the meeting's room and found that he was the last person to show up. Not that it really mattered, he thought as he occupied the last available seat, right next to his best friend Maes. He wasn't late, and he definitely had more important things to do than be here and listen to higher ups blabber about nothing.

"Are we all here?" asked Major General Hakuro, and Roy already knew this was going to be really just another useless meeting about nothing that had anything to do with him. He let out a sigh and sunk in his seat, bracing himself for the inevitable boredom.

"Hey, Roy," he heard Maes whispering next to him, and he glanced in his direction, then let out a low sound to let him know he heard him. "Did you hear? It's time for the annual department competition."

"Oh, not that crap again," the Colonel whispered back. Every year the military arranged a competition between all the different departments for charity purposes. They were supposed to do something for the community: raise a show, a gaming evening, something like that. It was nothing but a stupid way to gain the people's unconditional support, but in order to make the different commanders actually play along, they've made it a competition. There was no actual winning prize, but 'respect and fulfillment' were supposed to be sufficient. Roy's department has never won, but they never really tried to. It wasn't worth it, and no one really cared. No one even remembered who won last year, so why should they make an effort to succeed?

"Yeah. But I heard that this year the winning department is getting a whole week off to go to a vacation in Western. You know the kind of resorts they have there, right?"

Of course Roy knew. Amestris wasn't known for its vacation options, but Western City was an exception: blessed with thick forests and lovely lakes, its main income source was the money coming from people spending a weekend or a holiday there, away from their troubles. It was expensive to go there, and, besides, Roy was stuck in Eastern due to work and really had no one to take with him there. But still, the mention of that place was enough to ignite his curiosity and he couldn't help but ask farther. "Of course. But why would they do that?"

Maes shrugged. "No idea, but I have no complains. I also heard they're going to raise the bar this year, so if you want to participate, you have to think of something good."

"I don't know, Maes," Roy sighed, and glanced at his commander for a second. He was talking about something that had to do with coming up training; not interesting, and Riza would fill him in about it later anyway. "You know I hate this stuff."

"Yeah, but think about it. A vacation in Western… and being away from here. Besides," he added, and Roy knew now he would hear the real reason for his friend's persuasion. "This year is Gracia's and mine fifth anniversary… and I want to take her somewhere special. You know I can't do that unless we're given a vacation… and I don't make enough to get all three of us to Western."

Roy smirked. "I see. I'll give it some thought, Maes."

"Thanks, Roy. Hey, by the way, did I show you the picture of my beloved Elicia riding a horse for the first time?"

"No, but Major Hughes, we are here to participate in this meeting, you can show me later."

Their conversation ended there (and of course, Roy did whatever he could to escape his friend afterwards), but Roy couldn't stop thinking about his best friend's words even hours later, when he was back in his apartment sipping his evening coffee. He usually treated that stupid competition as the burden that it was, and nothing more. But this time there was actually a prize; a meaning to the competition. And it was a worthy one, too. The idea of getting a few days, or maybe even a whole week off work in order to go to one of the resorts Western offered, and on the military's expense no less, was very alluring. Besides, it's not like they really had anything better to do. Truth was, Eastern City was rather quiet these days and his higher ups were making up work for him and his crew. Just yesterday he was forced to send Fullmetal on some stupid, meant-to-be-a-failure kind of a mission. The boy would return in a few days and rant about it, but at least for now it gave Roy some time off from the headache the teen usually gave him.

Maybe actually making an effort this year was a good idea. Keeping them all busy while earning a luxurious vacation, what could be so bad about that? They all probably need some time off; hell, he knew _he_ definitely needed time off.

Roy made a decision. For the first time in his life as an officer he won't skip the annual charity event. He let out a sigh and grabbed the newspaper he picked up on his way back from work. Now he just had to find an idea that'd be good enough to make them make the most money and ensure their winning. He allowed his gaze to flutter over the words written, scanning the many reports and announcements and ads that were printed there when his eyes caught a familiar picture. He delayed on that article, reading it instead of drifting over it, and a headline and one paragraph later he realized it was a review of a play he accidently watched a couple of years back. It was a hideous and brilliant show at the same time; so stupid and uncanny it made him laugh. Its name was The Rocky Horror Picture Show, an idiotic musical with a confusing plotline that made no sense at all and mostly seemed like a lame excuse to dress the entire cast in corsets and net leggings. Ah… the ladies, walking around the stage with pretty much everything showing on display… the men – well built, tanned and handsome men – dancing in high heels and singing about, well, about sex toys and orgies. It was beautiful, disgusting, and hilarious. Whoever thought about that was a genius. If only Roy could find such an awesome idea, it would grant him the first place for sure.

_Oh_. Roy's eyes went wide and a wicked grin spread on his lips as the idea formed in his brain. It was sick, and he'd have to pull his rank more than he liked to – if not use bribery – but it was the greatest plan he'd ever had. There was nothing better than getting all the girls in his division into form flattering corsets and net leggings, and watching the males wearing them too… that could be interesting. Very interesting indeed.

Surprised by his own brilliance Roy put the paper down and got up from his sofa, rushing towards his phone. He dialed, and waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Maes, tell me. Are there any limitations on what that stupid event should be?"

"Roy! I didn't get to show you my daughter's picture! I'll show you tomorrow. I don't think there are any limitations, they always just ask everyone to be creative – "

"Good! So it doesn't have to be on a certain theme, or suitable for every age…"

"Don't tell me you're planning on getting strippers to raise charity for you! That's inappropriate – "

"No, no, no such thing. I want to… never mind. Don't worry about it. Does it have to be suitable for kids or not?"

"I don't think so. You're scaring me. What exactly are you planning?"

"Good. You'll find out tomorrow. Good night, Maes." He hung up the phone, ignoring the callings from the other end, pleading for some explanations. He had no time to explain. Tomorrow he'd tell everyone about his plan and force them to cooperate, but in order to do that he had to be prepared and have everything ready, and he had only tonight to work on the layout.

It was going to be the best show anyone ever presented. It was going to be a hell of a lot of hard work, but it was so going to be worth it. Roy's grin broadened, and he rushed towards his study, starting to think of the right way to present his idea, and the way it should be.

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**A/N:** Like I said this is the first time I'm writing anything of the sort, so I'd really appreciate some feedback to let me know how I'm doing and how I should improve or if there's anything that doesn't make sense at all.

Thank you very much for reading :)


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Wow thanks for the support guys! I had no idea so many people would like it after only the prologue^^"

Here's the first chapter for you!

Hope you'd enjoy this one as well :)

Thanks **Darya** for beta-reading this :)

* * *

**First Chapter**

.

The following morning, Colonel Mustang called everyone to the meeting room, ordering them to be there right after lunch so he could share his brilliant plan with them.

"Alright. So I asked all of you here today because I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming annual charity event."

Roy saw all the faces turning towards him, and could see the surprise on each and every one of them. They all knew him, and knew exactly how he felt about the competition. Every year someone would bring it up, and Roy would simply dismiss them, and they'd do exactly the same: pretty much nothing. He let out a sigh. "I know what you all think. But this year I've decided it was time for us to unite, and get our department the honor it deserves!"

"You just heard about the prize and decided you want it, boss." Everyone nodded at Havoc's words. Well, it really was true.

"Correct. But I also thought we could use some team building! And a vacation in Western."

There was a humming of agreement in the room. Well, at least he could get them to agree to that. Now he just had to make them overlook the fact most of them were going to be almost naked… Roy couldn't help the smirk that creep ed to his lips at that. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to see his subordinates naked; sure, Riza would be a nice view, he was pretty sure Havoc hid a wonderful body under his uniform, and even Ross might look hot and feminine in a corset. But he knew for a fact it would be very entertaining to get them all to play their roles, and he was pretty sure the crowd would think the same, and they'd be a success and get that vacation.

"So I've spent last night coming up with the perfect plan to win this," he said in a business like tone and held up a large pile of papers. He handed them to his subordinates, instructing them to each take the one which had their name written at the top. After he made his decision the night before, he sat down and tried to recall the entire play in his mind; he managed to get the main characters and the main plot line, which was enough for now. He can work on the rest of it later. Last night he wrote down the names of the characters on a page and thought about his crew, trying to figure out who should play whom until he reached the final version and copied it on enough pages to hand out to his men, plus a short and very timid version of the general plotline.

"What is this?" asked Major Hughes, eyeing the document with a suspicious stare. A wave of agreement followed, and soon enough all gazes were directed at Roy, waiting for an explanation.

Roy grinned. "That, my beloved crew, is the cast listing for the play we're going to present as our part of the annual charity event."

He saw a few faces frown, and some eyes were lowered back to the papers he handed them.

"There're only character names here. Is it an existing play or are you planning on writing one? Because I don't think we have enough time – "

Roy cut into Riza's words with a short chuckle. "Of course not. It's something I've watched a couple of years back and thought was hilarious, so I figured it'd be a good idea if we'd do that. It's a little bit of a… different kind of play. It would get us the first place for sure."

"Oh. What play is it?"

Roy's grin broadened, and he turned his eyes towards Major Alex as he answered him. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

"That sounds familiar…" Second Lieutenant Havoc started, but was brutally interrupted.

"Hey! I remember that one!" Riza called, uncharacteristically not using any decorum and useless requests for permission. No longer than a second after she said that her face wore a scowl and Roy thought she might correct herself. Too bad, he always thought her overuse of military etiquettes was annoying and pointless. However, when she spoke again, he realized that wasn't what came up her mind. "Isn't it the musical they forced down after two weeks of playing? The one with all the freaks?"

The Colonel opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything Jean jumped in his seat excitedly. "Oh right! The one where they dressed everyone in corsets and when they weren't wearing those they only wore underwear… An awesome play. Great call, Boss."

Mustang's grin broadened again, and it was becoming painful to keep smiling, so he let out another short chuckle instead. "I know."

"No! This is horrible!" Hawkeye placed the piece of paper back on the table, and glared at Roy. It was the same stare she wore whenever she scolded him for not doing his work, or thought he was dealing with a crisis in the wrong way. It was a very dangerous glare, usually leading to her pulling out her gun if he didn't immediately turn towards his paperwork and scribbled his signature on the first dotted line he saw, or offered a different approach to whatever it was. Well, this time he'd have to brace himself and endure that terrifying stare, and maybe even train his body to try to evade some bullets. "It's inappropriate in so many aspects, sir. Did you forget there's also a minor working under you? What do you think Edward would say about the part he has in the play?" she pointed at the middle of the list. Roy didn't need to see it to know she was probably pointing at the place where the Elric's name is written, right next to the name of the main female character. She then paused, looking horrified. "Scratch that, he'd complain about everything anyway. What do you think people will say? Edward isn't even old enough to _watch_ that play! How can you make him participate in it? Do you really expect us to participate in such a thing?"

"Why not? I know I would."

Surprised, Roy glanced in Jean's direction, and his astonishment soon enough changed into a smile. He should've known he'd find an ally in Second Lieutenant Havoc, even though considering the relationship going on between the two Roy'd assume he'd take Riza's side in this dispute. The man had a dirty way of thinking – much like Roy himself.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then realized his thoughts delayed him too much and now he wouldn't be able to speak in the buzz of talking that filled the room after Jean's announcement. A buzz that soon enough rose in volumes and became an all out argument; he could make out Jean's explanations as to why it's a good idea and Riza's claiming it was inappropriate; Major Armstrong worried pleading that they won't fight and Second Lieutenant Breda telling him there was no point and they'd fight anyway.

He glanced around the room and noticed Maes' glare was directed at him; the man didn't even need to use words to let Roy know what he thinks about his idea. _Really? THIS is what you came up with? This will never work._ But it will. Roy had a vision, and he knew that if he'd do his job as a commanding officer his vision will materialize into reality and they'd have the best show ever put up by the military, and the vacation would be theirs.

Roy cleared his throat. "Soldiers!" he called in his most authoritative voice, and the room fell silent at once, with all eyes landing on him, questioning. "This isn't open for negotiation. I have made my decision; this is what we are going to do, and that's where the discussion ends. Am I making myself clear?" the Colonel paused and looked around the room to see the short nods. Whether they agreed or not, his men were his soldiers, and always acted as such. They'd follow him anywhere and obey him, with just the right combination of trust and doubt needed to be a good subordinate but still a thinking human being. That was why he loved his crew so much. "The papers you hold are the cast listing. No questions, these are the roles you'd be playing. While I'm fully aware the original play was very explicit, I have every intention of re-writing it so it won't be as inappropriate. There will be no problem with Fullmetal participating, and there shouldn't be a problem with any of you taking a part in this production. You've all worked very hard this year, and there isn't a single one of you who didn't do his best ever since I became your commander. You all deserve a vacation and I want to be able to give it to you. This play is something no one had ever done before, and it is going to be a lot of hard work but we're going to be the best and kill the other departments' presentations. But for that I'm going to need your full cooperation, whether it means following my lead or speaking your mind with suggestions on how to make this production better. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's looking forward to a vacation on the military's expense at Western!"

Another wave of mumbles fluttered around the room, and the general vibe that Roy received was agreement. Good, then. The first stage of convincing everybody to go along his plan was working. He really should get awarded for how good he was at controlling his men and convincing them that what he wanted them to do was right.

"Very good. So I'm going to need two or three of you to help me write the script, and as you can see, everyone are going to be acting in this. We all have to be serious about this if we're going win, so I won't accept any half-hearted work. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

Roy's grin broadened. He just had to show a little bit of authority and give a communal cause and they'd do whatever he said. Oh, the benefits of being a commanding officer… "Great. So I'm going to need…" he thought for a moment. He needed someone who'd think just like him and knew the original piece – Jean would do for that. He also needed someone who had a good sense of humor. Unfortunately, most of them weren't really good with jokes. Maybe it was their professional as soldiers that drained them of the ability to have a good laugh, but he still considered himself as a man who could have a good laugh, so maybe that wasn't the reason. Oh well, he'd have to do, then. Last, he'd take Maes to help with the writing; he was the one who asked Roy to take this year's competition seriously. "Second Lieutenant Havoc, Major Hughes, you two are going to assist me with the writing. We'll start today, in the evening, and we're going to have the whole thing written by the beginning of next week. Second Lieutenant Breda, you used to be a musician back in high school, right? I need you to write the music for this. Lieutenant Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh, you three are in charge of the set. Sergeant Major Fuery, your job is to spy on the other departments and see what they're doing. You're a friendly person, they won't suspect you if you sniff around a little. If you find anything interesting and worthy of our attention, you'd report back to me immediately. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" the call was perfectly synchronized , showing just how united his team was, despite the common disagreements and disputes.

"Good. So in the meanwhile, I want everyone to keep quiet about this. We don't want any other department to steal our well-earned victory. Best would be to pretend we aren't doing anything, just like in previous years. Do your work regularly, don't talk about what we're doing, and deny any rumors that might come up. Second Lieutenant Havoc and Major Hughes, I will see both of you in my office at five. Dismissed."

The room was filled with the noise of chairs scraping on the floor, resulting in the atmosphere of a meeting that had just ended. Once alone in the meeting room, Roy let out a sigh. Riza won't make it easy for him, he knew, especially when she'd realize what was her part in the play, but he'd deal with that later. Overall, the announcement was accepted better than expected. Good thing Edward wasn't there – he'd ruin the whole thing, and he'd probably need some personal persuading. Well, he still had a few days to figure this part out. As for now, he was looking forward to the end of the day, when he'd work on the script with Havoc and Hughes.

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**A/N:** Thanks for survive all the way to the end! Hope you enjoyed your reading :) Next chapter will be up soon...

Please let me know what you thought through the reviews! I'd appreciate it very much.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Again, thanks everybody for the continuing support! I hope I won't disappoint with this chapter, it's a little bit less light than the earlier ones... but it was necessary.

Hope you'll enjoy this one as well!

Again, thanks my friend Darya for the beta!

* * *

**Second Chapter**

**.**

Edward loved trains. Well, maybe _loved_ was too strong a word to describe how he felt about the moving cars, but he definitely didn't hate the rides. Perhaps it was because he'd grown so used to them; being the cheapest, fastest way to travel across Amestris, he had to use them quite often, either because his missions from the military sent him to remote places or because of a new lead in his search for the Philosopher's Stone, and his rides were always long. Sometimes even longer than a whole day. Having no place to call 'home', the trains became the most stable thing in his life.

Ed sat in his seat across from his brother, staring out of the window at the changing view. He was annoyed. Well, he was beyond annoyed, but he had already taken out his anger earlier when they've just boarded the train, and he was now left with only the bitter taste of a wasted runt. That stupid Mustang, sending him on stupid missions that were nothing but a failure to begin with, and all he could do was just play into his hands and get all the scolding when they arrived back at the Headquarters.

He let out an annoyed sigh. It was always the same. He'd be sent out on some stupid mission that had nothing to do with his skills, only to get swooned by his own temper and ruin things even farther. And then he'd come back, present the outcomes of the mission and that smug, arrogant, idiot of a colonel would tell him how bad he did and force him to pay for the damages. Ed hated him. Hated him so much he could punch him in the face and break his nose with his automail fist; the problem was, he already figured out long ago that 'hate' wouldn't be enough to describe how he felt about the Flame Alchemist. No, unfortunately, there was much more to it than just 'hate'.

It wasn't only the desire to erase that stupid grin off his lips that filled his guts. At some point in time, he realized there were more aspects to his loathing, and he found out that punching or kicking him weren't the only ways he could think of to get that smirk to disappear. The disgusted feeling that filled Edward back when he realized that the want to hit the brainless fucker had dimmed, turning into a yearn to kiss him still nestled inside him, blooming alive every time the smug face showed up in his mind.

It wasn't only because he was another _man_, or because he was _older_, but because he was _Mustang_. He was his commanding officer, and a well-known git. How on earth could he want to kiss, or be held, by a man whose favorite pastime was making everybody's life miserable? And it sure didn't help that Ed kept screwing up; that just made their meetings longer, and the scolding harsher, and even though the words Roy was saying were offensive and obviously meant to ignite the younger Alchemist's easy temper, all it did was making him want to prove him wrong. They yelled at each other, and all Ed wanted to do was just jump over the table that hid the Colonel and tear the other man's clothes off.

Annoyed, Edward kicked the seat in front of him and started tapping on the window's glass with his automail finger.

"Brother? Is everything alright?" Alphonse's worried voice cut through Ed's thoughts and he paused from his tapping on the window, turning his face to his younger sibling.

"Yeah, was just thinking about Mustang. He's going to chew me out again, I totally don't feel like dealing with that bastard, that's all."

"Oh."

Ed looked at his younger brother for a second, making sure he bought that story before he returned to the window again. He never told his brother anything about what he really thought about the Colonel, but Alphonse was far from being an idiot. Ed suspected he noticed something had changed, maybe he even figured out the entire story, but fortunately they never talked about it.

"You shouldn't get so worked up about it, brother," Alphonse said, his tone indicating that Ed's second assumption was probably true. He did that quite often, but Ed still refused to acknowledge that his younger brother _did_ know what was going on. "It's the same every time, isn't it? He just mocks you a little and then lets it go. I know it probably won't help, but I'm going to say it anyway. Try not to yell at him too much this time, he probably just does his job."

"His job is to push me around and send me to useless missions that don't benefit anyone?"

"Don't say that, brother. It's not like this one was a _complete_ waste of time, wasn't it?"

Edward knew what his little brother was referring to; it was only by accident, but while he and Alphonse were eating dinner at a local restaurant at that God-forsaken place he heard a word that caught his attention, and the next thing he knew he was listening to a very interesting conversation about an alchemist somewhere in Western who seemed to be doing miracles.

Truth was, usually these kind of things turned out to be nothing but a fraud, but the Elric Brothers have been looking for a way to regain their original bodies for a little over three years now. Ed would take any bone thrown his way and happily chew on it in the weak hope of finding something that would actually be useful. He and Alphonse had already discussed it: once back in Eastern Headquarters, Ed would hand Colonel Bastard his report and then demand a permission to go and investigate in Western. He had every right to; it's not like there was anything meaningful to do anyway.

"Yeah, but you know how these things end most of the time. Besides, who knows if that fucker would even let me go to Western to investigate."

"He always does, brother."

"Hmpf." Edward let out, and then stared through the window again. His brother was right; despite being the nastiest prick he'd ever met, Colonel Mustang never prevented them from following their private mission. But somehow Ed had a bad feeling about it this time. He always did; but this time it was stronger. Strong enough to make him doubt he'd get the chance to follow the lead he got during this trip.

"Ever heard of knocking, Fullmetal?"

Ed ignored the demand for respect, and instead simply walked towards the sofa and sunk down on it right after he threw a bunch of papers on Colonel Mustang's desk. It was time to pull his regular angry mask and pretend he couldn't see how gorgeous the other man was, or show how easily he could get to him. "Just came back from that stupid mission you sent me on. Was fucking useless, mind you. There was no real alchemy involved, just some idiot making a mess. I kicked his ass, problem solved."

"According to my files you caused many problems in the process." Roy looked at him with resentment, his left eyebrow raised in questioning.

"_He_ caused _me_ some trouble. I just returned the favor." Ed shrugged, crossing his legs nonchalantly as he leaned back and made himself more comfortable. "Yet another retard not worthy of my time..."

"And yet, you managed to destroy half a village because of that 'retard'."

"I didn't say he wasn't a stubborn piece of shit, but he still wasn't worth sending me all the way to Marismos." He pouted. That was what he hated about these meetings the most. No matter what he did or how he presented the outcomes of his missions, somehow he always ended up being the bad guy. Somehow, he always screwed everything up and portrayed himself as a careless brat who did nothing but trouble. It surely didn't help that he knew no other way than violence, and that whatever twisted feelings he had for his commander caused him to try and defend his actions. It never worked anyway and he only managed to render himself even stupider, but unfortunately, he had no control over it.

"That won't change the fact you have to pay for the damages."

"Of course." Ed frowned. How could he even think otherwise. That, the scolding, and the short jokes – they all were just a part of their daily routine.

"Of course, if you're a little too _short_ –"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD GET CRUSHED BY AN ANT?!' Ed yelled, jumping in his seat almost high enough to actually stand up and punch that bastard in his face. He knew he was being childish and Roy was purposefully teasing him, but he simply couldn't control it.

"…on cash right now I could deduct it from your next paycheck." The Colonel finished with a smug grin, completely ignoring Ed's outburst.

"I don't need any favors from the likes of _you_," Ed spat in return, still pissed from the short joke. It didn't matter how many times he'd been teased that way, or that Roy's jokes were always pretty much the same, or that he _knew_ that his commander was talking about Ed's tendency not to carry around a large amount of cash; he also knew the man way too well to miss the intended mockery. How the fuck did he manage to crush on a man _like that_? It was beyond him to understand that. "And I don't think I should pay for it. I only went there because you ordered me to. Therefore, I think _you _should be the one to pay for the damages."

"I wasn't the one who told you to blow up half of that village." Edward looked up at the colonel only to see him signing some paper and grinning. He opened his mouth to say that maybe he did not, but it was a casual of that stupid mission and definitely not his fault when Roy continued. "I'm going to deduct it from your paycheck anyway."

"Bastard."

"Maybe I am, but I'm your commander either way and I decid whether you deserve something or not -"

"Oh! Right, this reminds me. I'm taking next week off," Ed didn't care he cut into his commander's words, suddenly remembering the conversation he and Al overheard at that small village. He knew he'd lose the battle of the payment anyway, since Roy was just messing with him. Every time he'd accuse him anew and threaten to take the damages costs from his paycheck and he never did it; not the entire amount, anyway. There were more important things than that stupid thing anyway. Like getting his brother's body back.

"What for?"

Ed didn't expect an immediate approval, but he surely didn't expect the biting tone in which Mustang spoke to him. Usually when he needed to go and follow a lead there weren't many questions, just a wish for luck. He frowned, and looked at Roy again. "Al and I got a lead when we were in that stupid village of yours. There's something fishy in Western, and we decided we want to look into it."

"Western, huh?" Roy's voice was, for some reason, very cunning. Ed found himself rising his eyebrows in suspicious.

"Yeah… is there a problem with that?" he asked, eyeing Mustang. He didn't like the look the older man was giving him, with his eyes narrowed and his chin resting on his hands, supported by his elbows.

The Colonel remained that way for a short moment longer before he let out a sigh and straightened up. "I'm sorry, you can't do that."

"WHAT?" Edward didn't even know how to take that. Never before was he refused a request for time off if he said they had found a lead… what was the bastard playing at? He almost hit him, but was able to stop himself before his body made any moves.

"I can't allow you to take next week off. Or the week after, before you ask."

"Why?"

"Because it's a very busy time at the office right now, and I can't afford losing a single soldier."

"WHAT? Don't bullshit me, bastard, I know perfectly well there's not a fucking thing to do here – "

"That's where you're wrong, Fullmetal." Again, Roy's face was adorned with that annoying smirk, like he knew something crucial that Ed didn't. "You see, Edward, it's that time of the year when we have to take part in the charity event – "

"What the fuck? You never do anything!"

" – and I need everyone to participate. Including you, Fullmetal."

Ed was left with his jaw dropped in astonishment. He knew about that thing, the so-called charity event, and Mustang never did so much as lift a finger to participate, remembering it existed just the night before and doing something pathetic just so no one could claim he did nothing. What was different this year? Or was it just a new means to torture him?...

"We have already started working on it while you were gone, but now that you're back in Headquarters it's essential that you give your share for the efforts."

"What efforts? I asked you not to bullshit me –"

"We're doing a play this year."

"WHAT? Well count me out, I'm not going to participate in any stupid play, especially not for free – "

"You have no choice, Fullmetal. Besides, you might want to participate in this one, and do your best at it…"

There was something in the tone Mustang was using that caught Edward's attention and made him forget for a second how mad he was at the whole situation. "And why exactly is that?"

"Because the reason I chose to take a part in it this year, is that this year the winning department gets a week's vacation in Western City. You said you got a lead there, right? Winning this thing is your only chance to get there, as first of all, I'm not going to let you take a week off now, and secondly, Western is expensive. Can you really afford to go there on your own, without the military funds?"

Ed frowned, and leaned back on the sofa with a pout. He knew Western was expensive, and he knew he couldn't afford anything that cost too much money, what with him being the only one making any sort of money between him and Al. And he needed this money to pay for food, places to sleep, non-work related train rides, and, of course, his automail maintenance. He knew he was being manipulated, but the truth was that if he could save the expenses of traveling to Western and get the military to pay for it instead… well, it would make his life much easier, to say the least. That didn't change the fact he wanted to punch the bastard in the face for bringing that up and using it against it. However…

He swallowed. Mustang was right… and it seemed like a well planned scam. "Fine. But I'm just going to help with the technical stuff, like… eh… making preparing the set and stuff."

The evil smirk on his commander's face broadened. Ed didn't like it; he didn't like it at all. "No, Ed. Everyone takes an active part in the playing, too. If you want to be able to go to Western, you should perform in the play as well. There are too many parts, not enough people…"

"But – "

"No 'but', Fullmetal. Either you're in and you're getting the opportunity you want to investigate, or you're out, and I wish you all the luck with getting to Western on your own, the next time I can afford to let you go."

"I…" Ed didn't know what to do. He really needed to go there; he was desperate for every chance to find a way to get Alphonse his human body back. Roy knew that, and he was skillfully playing on that, knowing that Ed would do anything for his younger brother. It was evil, and he hated him for that, but he could already sense the defeat spreading through him. "If we win, when do we go?"

"Well, the due date for all the events is in about a month, so I'm assuming a week after that. You'd only have to suffer this for one month, Fullmetal. One month, and then, if you did well enough to grant us a victory, you can go to Western and look into whatever information you got on the Philosopher's Stone. I'll even give you more time there if you'll need it."

Ed clenched his fists, feeling his nails digging into the skin of his flesh palm. He grated his teeth; the offer was too tempting. And if he couldn't even do _that_ for his little brother, what kind of a brother he was? It was his fault Alphonse was stuck in a suit of armor in first place. Just one month of humiliation, and then they'd be free to find that piece of shitty Alchemist who might have the answer for them.

He nodded once in defeat. "Alright. I'll do it," he said quietly, acknowledging his loss. _How bad can this thing be?_ He thought, and luckily for him, he didn't see the evil look in Mustang's eyes at his surrender.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks everyone for their lovely reviews! I really appreciate all of you, and I'm really happy everyone enjoys this story. I wasn't sure it would work but now I see I'm having so much fun with it, and it's warming to see so many other people who likes it.

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**Third Chapter**

.

He knew he was being mean. He knew he was using dirty tricks and he deserved to be punched in the face for that, but he didn't care. He had a show to put on, and he had a vision. He needed everything to be perfect and if what he needed to do in order for that to happen was stepping on Fullmetal's soft spots then so be it.

But Roy still felt bad for what he'd done.

Truth was, when Edward stepped into his office he still had no idea how to get the stubborn brat to participate in the play. He had almost a week to think about it, but was still unable to come up with anything. He simply knew the kid too well, knew there was no way to get him to do something he didn't want to, unless…

And then, when the teen asked for a week off to investigate some lead in Western, it hit him. Bingo. That was exactly what he needed, because the only way to get Ed to do something he wasn't willing to do was if it was going to help his little brother.

It was the cruelest thing he'd ever thought of, but he knew it was going to work. And he was right; for one, scary moment after he delivered the news to the young boy, Roy was almost certain he'd just punch him and leave, and for a second he was pretty sure that Ed thought of the same thing. But then the need to help his little brother overcame that urge and his pride, and he agreed. As simple as that, and Roy mentally sighed with relief. He knew Ed would be mad at him, but the teen hated him anyway, it wouldn't make any difference.

It's not like that was the end of it anyway. Edward agreed to participate in the play; he still had no idea what the play was about, and, even worse so, what part he was supposed to play. Roy knew he'd probably have to keep using Edward's soft spot for that, even though in his heart he knew that no matter what, he'd let him chase whatever lead he got in Western. But before he even hints that he would, he'll try to squeeze as much cooperation from Fullmetal as possible.

Right now, though, he was more worried about not getting kicked too hard when Edward gets the time to read the script he gave him right before he left his office. Luckily enough, Jean, Maes and himself were done with most of scenes of the play already. They only did the outlay, so it still wasn't anything too eccentric, and most of the characters were still, how to say? Decent, but he was sure Fullmetal won't be too pleased to know his character was originally a woman. Besides, he was a smart boy: he'd figure where the play was going, and if he won't he'll do his research and find what kind of play it was exactly. And when he does, Roy will have to watch himself carefully and make sure he always had his gloves on. Just in case.

However, Roy was also sure Ed won't bother to look into the play until the last minute, which gave him a little more time.

Apart from the Fullmetal situation, things were going pretty smoothly: the writing process was going well; Second Lieutenant Havoc seemed to remember the play quite well after being reminded of the general plotline, and he had some great ideas for changing things in order to make them more fitting for their situation. They changed several lines, erased some scenes. No one will have the time, nor the will, to actually do the entire play; but they were hitting the main notes. Roy was pretty pleased with the outcome: it was hilarious, sexy, and incredibly stupid. All the needed components for a great play. The song writing seemed to be going pretty well as well; Breda seemed to be enjoying reliving his former life as a musician, and the result was awesome.

Well, truth was Roy had no knowledge whatsoever about music and all they had so far were written notes, but he _hoped_ it was awesome.

"Wasn't that a little bit too harsh, boss?" Jean's voice cut through Roy's thoughts, expressing just what was going through his mind anyway and, as usual, muffled a little by the cigarette held between his teeth.

He let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, looking at the soldier standing at his office's door. "I know, I know. But we've tried for four days to find a way to get Fullmetal to participate in the show. Come in."

"You're right," Second Lieutenant Havoc walked into the room and sat on the sofa that Edward had just vacated. "But still, you know how sensitive he is about this thing."

"Yeah, I was actually surprised he didn't hit me."

"Oh, right. I really was surprised I didn't hear more yelling from here as I was listening. He gave up pretty fast."

Roy couldn't help half a smirk from showing on his face. "He has no idea yet what the play is about or what role he has. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get to see our fair share of an Elric tantrum once he understands what is really going on here."

"I have no doubt about that, boss. So… we only have three days to complete the script, according to your schedule. Ready to work on the finishing touches?"

_Finishing touches._ That was how they referred the… better, parts of the play. Roy's half-smirk broadened into a full width one. He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled the second copy of the script – the one that right now only he, Maes and Jean were allowed to see – and put it on his desk. "Close the door, Second Lieutenant. Let's get this thing done."

They weren't done with it by the end of the day, probably because they were occasionally disturbed by different people, mostly Riza bringing about different documents for Roy to sign; but they made a good progress, and the Colonel was pleased with what they've accomplished. One more day with thorough work and they'll be good to go and start working on the actual play with the 'actors'. Perfect.

Back at his home, Roy allowed himself to relax. This day had gone surprisingly well; first of all, he wasn't even sure Edward would be back on time. The boy was pretty much always late, and even if he was back on time, he'd probably delay his appearance as much as he could, until there was no way for him to postpone the moment he'd have to face Roy anymore. Besides that, Roy was depending too much on Fullmetal, and he knew that; but other than himself, the kid was the best at acting. All the deceits and all the times he played his way out of trouble were enough of a proof. It was probably because that was the only way he knew, or something sad and deep about his ruined childhood, but the outcome was the same altogether and Roy had every intention to make the best use of it.

Roy shrugged as he put water on the stove, intending to make himself a cup of coffee. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter – he was doing his best to help the Elric Brothers out, and right now Edward's acting skills come in handy. The fact that the boy was such a natural talent didn't matter. He was just hoping he'd understand the utmost importance of making his plan work, and will be mature enough to look beyond the contents of the play and see the humor in it instead.

It was probably too much to ask, but whatever. Roy decided he'd deal with that when he has to, and not a single moment before.

The kettle shrieked, and Roy poured the boiling water into a cup immediately after he put a spoon of black coffee in it, and stirred. He grabbed the cup off the counter and took it with him as he walked towards his living room and sat down on his sofa. He took a sip from his coffee and placed it on his table, grabbing instead the pile of papers that lay there. He scanned them, reading through the briefs and headlines in search of something important, but there was nothing. Indeed, a dull time in the office; he didn't want to go through anything that wasn't urgent while he could still work with Maes or Jean, preferring to spend his time writing and perfecting the play while he still had help, and so he was forced to take his paperwork home to look through. It was all boring stuff: a request for one thing or another, a suspicious occurrence that might have had something to do with Alchemy. On regular days, he'd just send Fullmetal to investigate, like he did with the last one; but these were not regular days, and unless it was something of real importance he wasn't going to even so much as move his finger to take care of it.

Roy was looking through his documents, and soon enough his cup was empty. With nothing else to distract his mind the words began blurring in front of his eyes, and he found himself reading the same sentence over and over again before simply giving up and moving to the next one. It came as no surprise, then, when the entire room became blurry and slowly faded away as the Colonel drifted into sleep.

Heavy knocking on his front door tore him away from Dream Land, and Roy shook his head. He didn't believe he was so tired he actually fell asleep on his sofa, in his living room. They hadn't even started rehearsing and the damned play was already taking its toll; but it was worth it, he reminded himself as the knocking was heard again and he forced himself to stand up and walk away from the sofa. They _will_ get it right and they _will_ win this damn competition and then he'd have his vacation in Western, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty… and in tiny swimsuits, playing in the swimming pools, their breasts jiggling free...

The third time the knocking was heard, it was accompanied by a voice. "Colonel Mustang? I know it's a late hour but I saw the lights on…" the voice was trailing, and it took Roy a moment to realize why the sound was so familiar. Wide awake, he blinked the remaining strands of sleep as he glanced at the clock on his wall that showed it was almost midnight. He marched towards his door and unlocked it, opening it and looking at his guest.

"Alphonse, is everything alright?" he asked worriedly. The younger Elric rarely visited him, if he did at all. Him being there meant something bad, _really_ bad had happened. He moved, allowing the giant armor to enter his house.

"Yes, I'm really sorry about the time, sir," he said, his voice frantically trying to calm Roy down. He probably noticed how worried he made the Colonel. "Nothing happened, it's just that… Brother had just fallen asleep not too long ago and I had to wait because he'd kill me if he knew I was here…"

Roy closed the door. "Why? Did anything happen to him?"

Alphonse chuckled. "No, not at all. He's fine."

"And are you – "

"No, no, I'm fine too. I came here to talk to you about that play you wanted to do."

That took Roy by surprise, and he frowned at the younger Elric's words. It was the last thing he expected him to talk to him about – and with such urgency, at such an hour. Did he come to scold him on forcing Edward to participate, on behalf of his brother? He usually was so peaceful, letting Fullmetal deal with his own mess however he wanted to, at least as long as it didn't hurt anybody. He blinked. "What about it?"

"It's really important to you that Brother will participate, isn't it?"

"Uh… won't Edward be mad if he knew you were here, talking to me about it?"

Roy already knew Alphonse well enough to know when he was smiling, even when he was stuck inside an emotionless suit of armor. Now was one of those times when he didn't need a human face to see the smirk Alphonse was giving him. "He'll be furious, but only if he knows about it." The voice was hinting enough, cunning enough, for Roy to not need any gestures.

He grinned. "I understand. So what did you want to say?"

"Ed is… disturbed, to say the least," Roy didn't need blood and skin to know the youngest Elric was blushing. "By that play. But… if you want him to do his part, just ask him kindly. He might listen better to a gentle request rather than an order."

That was weird. First, why would Edward's young brother be so supportive of forcing him to do something he didn't want to? And secondly, what on earth made him think that Edward could understand anything even _remotely_ gentle? He decided the first question was bothering him more. "Why are you telling me this if you know Edward doesn't want to take part in this production?"

"Well…" the armor sighed loudly. "I know he asked you to get some time off so we could investigate in Western, and I also know you told him no – "

"Aren't you supposed to be mad at me then?"

"-and I assume you have a very good reason to make letting us go on dependent on the success of that play. So I want to help you do your best, so you win and we can go to Western."

The older man scowled. Well, he _did_ have a good reason to want to make this play a success; he wasn't sure anyone but him would think it was such a great reason – maybe Havoc – but he wasn't going to prove the kid wrong when he was trying to help him out. He smiled. "Thank you for your understanding, Alphonse," he said instead. "So you basically say that if I want to convince Fullmetal all I need to do is sweet-talk him into it?" The mere idea was strange to him, and it made no sense. But no one knew Edward better than his younger sibling. Probably not even Edward himself.

Alphonse moved a little, uncomfortable, before he spoke. "Basically… I guess… yeah, that's what I'm saying."

"I'll try that. Thank you, Alphonse."

"No problem," Roy could hear the weak smile hiding in Elric's voice. "Again, I'm sorry I bothered you so late – "

"Forget about it."

"And now I have to run back, before Ed notices I'm gone. Usually he sleeps like a baby, but sometimes he wakes up from his nightmares and he'll get a heart attack if I'm not there. Good night, sir! I hope things will work out!"

And so, the boy left his apartment, and Roy let out a sigh as he closed the door behind him.

That was weird.

Very weird.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks again everyone who reviews, favorites or follows. It's so nice to know so many people like this :)

Here's the next chapter for you!

As always, thanks my friend Darya for beta-ing this!

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**Forth Chapter**

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"What, for God's sake, is this shit?" Ed muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the words on the pages Mustang gave him earlier, back in his office. He was at his and Al's room at the military dorms, sitting on his bed with his legs stretched forward, leaning back against the head of the bed as he was reading. "Listen, Al. _How forceful you are, Brad. Such a perfect specimen of manhood. So… dominant. You must be awfully proud of him, Janet. Well, yes I am. _It's ridiculous!"

"Yes, but it's not _that_ bad, brother – "

"Oh! And if that's not enough, check this out! Where was it…" Ed flipped through the pages, looking for a paragraph he read just moments ago. "Just a few pages back… found it. _Brad and Janet are given towels. Janet: 'Thank you.' Brad: 'Thank you very much'. Columbia and Riff Raff start to undress Brad and Janet._ Is he fucking kidding me?! He wants… wait… Falman to take my clothes off! On the stage!"

"Uh…" Alphonse sounded embarrassed and at a loss of words.

"There's no way in Hell I'm doing this."

"Maybe… uh… maybe if you just ask him he'd take that part out…"

"Yeah, like that would work with someone like that bastard. And he wants _me_ to play that Janet bitch. Can you believe him?! She's a girl! I can't play a girl! I'm one-hundred-percent man!"

Alphonse moved a little bit in his seat, turning his gaze away from Ed and back to his book. There mere motion caused the elder Elric to frown in suspicion. "Well, brother, you have to admit that with your height – " he said carefully, but all his precaution didn't help him.

Ed stared at him. "Are you saying I'm short enough to be mistaken for a _girl_, Alphonse?" Ed's tone was low and dangerous, and he could see his little brother twitching in fear of the upcoming rage tantrum.

"I didn't say _that_ Ed," he said hurriedly, his arms stretched forward in a gesture that meant to imply he really didn't mean to offend. Luckily for him, even though Ed was very, very pissed Al was still his younger brother and his only sibling. He simply couldn't be as mad at him as he so often was at other people. "It's just that there aren't many female soldiers so the Colonel probably needed – "

The elder Elric took a deep breath before he spoke again, however the words still came out as a hiss despite his attempt to cool down. "I don't care what he fucking 'needed', I don't want to play a fucking _girl_!"

"I understand, but didn't you say it's one of the lead roles? You, eh, should be glad he thinks you're good enough to do it," Al nodded, as if he was trying to convince himself at the righteousness of his own words. "It's actually a compliment."

"No it's not. He's making fun of me. The fucker just wants to torture me by forcing me to do this. If it wasn't for that Alchemist we found in Western I would have never agreed to do it in the first place! I don't like acting, I don't want to be on a stage, I don't want a fucking _lead role_ in _anything_ and I most certainly don't want to play a _girl_ in a sick play like this one!"

"I'm sure you're not the only one he forces to play in this. The entire department is probably being forced into this as well – "

"But I don't give a shit about that! I'm not going to humiliate myself in front of him like this!"

There was a pause, a moment of silence lying between the two of them before Alphonse spoke again, his voice much quieter and sly. "Brother… you like the Colonel, don't you?"

"WHAT?" Ed could feel how his face was turning bright red in an instant as he realized the mistake he'd just made. He looked away from his younger sibling in a miserable attempt to hide that. "You mean Mustang? Hell no! Why the fuck do you think I… like, that bastard?!" He wasn't even sure he wanted to know the answer. Sure, he had his suspicions that Alphonse wasn't as naïve as he presented himself and that he guessed the true nature of his feelings towards his commander – especially now, after that little slip; but he surely didn't want to hear just how pathetic he was to make it so obvious.

"You wouldn't care so much if you didn't. It's okay, Ed, I've known that for ages. Didn't want to bring it up, but I think that if you don't acknowledge it now you might be missing your one chance."

Alphonse's words were too surprising for Ed to even remember to keep denying his affection towards Roy. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if he gave you a lead role then he'll have to see you a lot. He's not stupid, so he probably knows that. Do you really think he'd force himself to suffer your presence – "

Ed opened his mouth to say something about Alphonse's use of the word 'suffer', but Al didn't seem to care enough to stop his little speech.

"- if he didn't like you too?"

Ed thought about this. He had to admit, after bothering to listen to his brother all the way through, that he had a point. Humiliating him didn't seem like a good enough reason to endure his presence if he hated him as much as he pretended to. But it still seemed a little too farfetched. "I don't think that's his reason. This entire thing is humiliating for anyone who participates. I can't believe he actually wrote that."

"Well, you always say how sick he is, don't you? Maybe he wrote it because he _wants_ to see you without cloths."

Ed's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he heard his brother chuckle at the idea. He glanced at him to see the armored hand covering his mouth as if to muffle the sound – a useless gesture. "What are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing, nothing," but that didn't stop Al from snickering anyway. Just before Ed was about to throw something at him, Alphonse's red eyes lit up a little bit, and the smile was audible when he spoke again. "Don't worry about liking Mustang. I'm not going to tell anyone, and I don't judge you for it. I think it's cute, and it was pretty predictable, the way you two fight. I was wondering when you'll finally kiss." Ed, once again, felt himself blushing at his brother's words. "If you'll be smart about it, you can use this play to make him see you in a different way. I know it's hard, but maybe if you actually put effort into it he'll appreciate you more. Besides, you already agreed to participate, right?"

Ed let out an undecipherable sound, and then went back to reading the script with a scowl. Alphosne probably gave up on getting a clearer answer form him as remained silent after that. Ed found himself falling asleep almost immediately after he was done with his reading; as fond as he was of trains and traveling, there was nothing as good as a good night sleep in the bed he already knew too well.

Ed meant to listen to his brother. He didn't think Alphonse was right, but he pretty much had nothing to lose – he already agreed to take part in Mustang's stupid idea, and he knew the Colonel won't let him off the hook easily. Besides… the play was full of sexual themes; if he plays his cards right, maybe Al's idea would come in handy.

He really did mean to come into the office, and quietly ask that bastard to remove the part where he's supposed to be… well, pretty much naked. He even had a perfect excuse – anyone who knew about his mistake four years ago knew how much he hated letting people see his automail.

But when he entered the room and saw what lay beyond it, he forgot all about his peaceful intentions.

"You shitty Colonel what the fuck is going on here!" he found himself blurting as he watched his commander sitting on the floor next to Hawkeye and Ross, leaning over what seemed like a drawing of feminine undergarment. They had a little model – which looked like it was made with Alchemy – and were discussing details such as what colour the lacing should be and if they should use velvet as a fabric. Roy never took interest in women's clothing unless it was already on a woman, preferably a really hot one. Therefore, if he took so much interest into deciding about the design and correct use of colours, it had to have something to do with the damned play. From what Edward read, it made a lot of sense. The character named Frank was introduced wearing a corset and female leggings. Ed had no idea how Havoc – written down as that role – agreed to do that.

Mustang turned right after he heard Ed's voice, and the teen was horrified to see a smug smirk smeared on the man's face. He was right, then. That damned bastard…

"Oh! Fullmetal! Good morning!"

"Good morning, my ass!" Ed yelled, gesturing with the pile of pages he held in his hand – the script that shithead gave him the previous day – at the paper spread on the floor.

"Major Elric, please watch your language!" said Hawkeye, but Ed completely ignored her.

"Care to explain to me what the fuck is all of this? You'd better tell me what you're doing _here_ has _nothing to do_ with the play, because there's no way in hell I'm – "

"Relax, Edward. Of course it does," Mustang's voice was annoyingly calm, and as he got up from the floor and straightened his uniform Ed's stare followed him in disbelief.

"How the fuck do you want me to calm down when you force me to take part in something like _this_!" He waved the pile of papers he held in front of the Colonel, almost angry enough to throw it on his face and leave.

"Please, keep your voice down. I take it that you had the time to read the play? I'm really happy to hear that." Again, that damn tone; Mustang rarely really yelled at him, but there was always a certain smugness to his voice that right now simply wasn't there. It confused Ed; since when was the Colonel actually trying to be genuinely _nice_?

"Like hell you are – "

"I see that you have some issues you want to discuss? I can spare you some moments for you to spill your mind. Second Lieutenant Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Ross, will you please leave the two of us to talk about the issues Fullmetal might have?"

Before Ed could say more offensive words, or even grasp that Roy talked like he thought what Ed had to say was actually _important, _the women walked towards the door and left the room, bowing their head at Ed once in respect before disappearing.

While they were leaving, Ed tried to understand what was going on here. He was pissed – still mad at the mere idea of being forced to take part in that stupid play, even more so after he read it and realized just how _twisted_ it was. And now he walked into a room where Roy was sitting down and talking about things like _lacing_ with two women… this thing was _sick_, and the bastard was a fool if he thought Ed would take part in it. Fuck what Alphonse said and fuck his own goddamned feelings and hopes, this was just too humiliating.

Roy walked behind his desk, and sat down in his chair, gesturing for Ed to take a seat on his sofa as well. He didn't feel like sitting down, too annoyed and too anxious to be motionless. A moment later, when the Colonel realized that the teen had no intentions of taking his invitation, he offered a smirk, and spoke. "You've read the entire play already? I have to say that I am very pleased with that, and I appreciate your efforts. Now, please, Edward, let me know what you think."

Ed wasn't used to Mustang actually asking him to provide an honest opinion. The calm, caring tone of the man's words took the wind out of his sails and he was at loss when he realized he had no rational reason to shout at him. He blinked, confused. "I… eh, I've read the play. I don't like it."

"It's alright. You don't have to."

Ed's jaw dropped. Wasn't Mustang supposed to say something like, 'your problem, Fullmetal,' or 'you're just too little to understand it', thus attempting – probably successfully – to intrigue the young Alchemist's furious temper and tendency to see every comment even remotely connected to words of the 'small' category as a reference to his lack of height? Even if the old git didn't try any of those, he'd still say something mean and offensive just to ignite a dispute.

He blinked several times, feeling uncomfortable with this new development. His brain told him to think nothing of it; the man could have simply been in a good mood for a change, or maybe Ed simply didn't catch the sarcastic tone of the words. However, his heart demanded a different answer. Maybe something had changed. He had no idea how, or why, but maybe… in some strange way… Roy stopped seeing him as an annoying teenager who gave him nothing but trouble. Ed swallowed. There was no way; there had to be another explanation, and eventually, he'd figure it out.

"I have a few problems with it… eh, first of all – why am I playing a woman?" he asked, surprised he didn't yell that.

Roy smiled at him; it was awkward, he wasn't used to the man actually 'smiling'. It was always a smirk, or a grin, or any kind of other mocking expression. "Because she's the main character, and you're the best actor I have. I hope that doesn't put too much pressure on you?"

"No, that's not the point – " Ed started, and glanced down. His eyes fell on the little corset model, and he was reminded of the reason he was so pissed off when he first stepped into the office. "What is this shit all about?" he asked, a lot more aggressively than how he had talked after the women left the room. "The damn thing is idiotic. The characters are absurd and make no sense, and why, for fuck's sake, did you write a scene where I'm being undressed on the stage?!" He ended with a yell, once again mad enough to punch the bastard in his face.

"It's not only you, Edward. Major Hughes is, too. And, unlike you, he has a wife – and he helped writing it." Finally, there was a shade of the familiar annoying Mustang he knew.

"I don't care he has a wife! I'm NOT going to let ANYONE take off my clothes! Especially not in front of other people! What do you think I am?!"

"A very handsome young man." The short answer was all it took to remove the colour from Edward's face. Did… did Roy just call him handsome? Since when did he even bothered to think about his looks? He tried to swallow, and almost chocked on his own saliva, only by miracle not making his feelings _completely_ obvious. After a short moment of silence, the Colonel shrugged. "I don't think you have anything to hide. You're well built, and you're young. You should be proud of your body, not ashamed of it."

Ed opened and closed his mouth, trying to comment on that, to say _something,_ _anything, _but nothing but a strange, undecipherable sound came through his lips. Mustang had just complimented him. On his looks, and in a damn bold way, too. This made no sense. It crushed his mind, shutting down the mainframe of his brain and robbing him of the ability to say anything intelligible. Usually he wouldn't think so much of such a thing; he knew he was built well – had to be, with the way he lived – but hearing that from Mustang, being informed that the Colonel thought so too and found him _attractive enough to be almost naked on stage_… that was different, and it shattered his entire world.

"I think it might even do you good. Maybe you could use a good boost to your ego. Anything else, Fullmetal?"

"I…" Ed started. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch the bastard, and he wanted to close the distance between the two of them, jump on his table and kiss him. He needed answers to the questions rising inside him in response to Mustang's words, but his mind was blank. The only thing he could do was lower his head, trying to hide the blush that spread over his face as he realized the new possibilities arising. "No… Eh… that's all, Colonel," he said, and turned to leave the room. He needed to calm down. And a cold shower; but first he needed to calm down.

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**A/N:** Hope you liked it this time too!

I'll get the next chapter up next Friday, as usual :) Thanks for reading! Please leave a review:)


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** So... next chapter is up! Once again thanks everyone for their support! Really warms my heart to see a new fav or new follower. I'm happy other people enjoy this... _thing_ as much as I do, and hope I'm not disappointing anyone.

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**Fifth Chapter**

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Roy didn't believe it would actually work. When Alphonse Elric visited in his apartment at night, offering his advice on the inner workings of the elder Elric's mind, Roy wasn't sure what his motive really was. He wasn't sure if he was going to act on that advice, having his own doubt about the reason Alphonse chose to say what he said. Sweet-talking Edward sounded so absurd Roy was torn. One assumption was that Alphonse was trying to trick him into doing something that would just push Fullmetal over the edge and ruin any chance he had at convincing the boy to take a part in his play. The problem was that if it was a trick, then it was a really lousy one, and none of the Elrics were stupid, to say the least.

Roy let out a sigh, and locked his house door. Colonel-ranked Flame Alchemist or not, he was still helpless when he was asleep and his gloves rested in his drawer, and his rank only played against him in situations like this. There were many people who knew him, and either were jealous of him or guessed at his plans to become the Fuhrer eventually, and he had to be careful. He turned from the door and walked back to the sofa, turning back to his papers in hopes of finding anything useful there, but he found he wasn't able to concentrate on the written words, his thoughts again and again returning to the Elrics. They were both geniuses, prodigies not only in Alchemy but also in most aspects of life. They were fast thinkers and understood complicated things and situations almost with no effort, as if it was a second nature to them. Roy was sometimes actually envious of them. He was twice Edward's age, and had studied during most of his teen years and was still far – too far, in his opinion – from these kids' level of knowledge. His fingers tapped nervously on his thigh, drumming an erratic rhythm. The second theory was that Alphonse actually wanted to help. However, this theory had problems as well: Edward was the last person Roy think would be affected by anything other than force. He knew nothing but violence and disputes, and it wasn't his fault. Roy could only credit himself for that, being practically the man who accompanied the boy through the most important years of adolescence, but taking the blame didn't change the facts. Either way, Roy doubted it was the right way to act.

It felt weird to be doing that, too. It wasn't that Roy didn't have plenty of experience with wooing; a tired smirk appeared on his lips as he recalled some of his better conquests. It was not a secret that he was a ladies man, and had his fare share of tempting men into his bed as well. For him, it was all a very fun game, with very fun outcomes. But he'd never tried flirting without actually _flirting_. He was sure Alphonse didn't mean he should attempt to lure Edward into his bed; that was even more absurd than trying to nicely ask him to do something he didn't want to. He was used to mocking the boy, and found it incredibly amusing to see him struggling to fight back; that was what he did since he first joined the military. It wasn't because he didn't like him or because he was frustrating him – even though he surely did –but because Roy realized that was the best way to communicate with the blazing teen.

His train of thoughts started to tire him, and he realized just how pointless it was to turn page after page in the papers he held in his hands. He wasn't even reading a single word, his mind way too occupied with the confusing theories and attempts to find the conspiracy. He placed the papers back on his coffee table and got up again, this time heading towards the bathroom to get ready to sleep – in his bed this time. Damn his military-officer-brain, always coming up with the worse ways to analyze everything.

When morning rolled by, and he woke up with a strange feeling. Alphonse's words still seemed to be making no sense at all. However, now, when his mind was more functioning than the previous night, he realized he was worrying over nothing. Whether the younger Elric truthfully meant what he said or not, Roy had nothing to lose. Fullmetal was against the idea anyway, and would probably be a lot more furious when he finally reads the play. Roy had nothing to lose by trying, at first, to talk to him in quiet voice and kindly ask him to do his part: if the outcome would be a stubborn refusal as he expected, then he'd retreat to his original plan and blackmail the boy into agreeing, just like he did to convince him to even _listen_.

Needless to say, the Colonel was surprised when later on that morning, when Fullmetal stepped in, uninvited, into his office and seemed to be interested only in one thing – causing Roy trouble – Alphonse's tactic seemed to be working so well. At first, it was amusing to see the boy lost when Roy abandoned his usual way of talking to him, saying nothing even remotely offensive or mocking, doing his best to look like he actually cared. He knew what Fullmetal was there for, and he had no intentions what so ever of letting him off the play or changing anything because of him. Then, when Ed saw the planning of what was going to be Jean's main clothing and blew off, Roy was sure it was lost again, but he already started so he gave being gentle another try; after all, it seemed to at least make the flaring teen quiet, if only for a moment.

He had no idea how much complimenting the boy would affect him. Roy wasn't stupid; he knew that under all his boisterous confidence Ed really was nothing other than a teenager and as such, was very aware of how he was perceived, especially since he was physically imperfect after what he and Alphonse did. However, he expected him to yell at him something offensive about being a pervert or keeping his fake compliments to himself when he told the boy he was beautiful; instead, all colour was drained from Ed's face and he looked like he desperately wanted to say something but forgot how to talk. Roy had to stop himself from laughing, or saying something scornful.

It was all very amusing, until Roy realized what was wrong with the look his subordinate was giving him. Shock and loss of words were very rare with the boy who had a nasty retort to everything, but even when they did appear they were different than what Roy saw then. Edward was gaping at him, and in his eyes he could see confusion, disbelief and hope. The same kind of hope he remembered from the days he himself was a teenager, and his ego was at its peak when he knew all the girls in his year and the year below –and some of the older girls, too – wanted him, and he walked towards one of them and asked her out… it was the same, even if the stare in Edward's eyes was less dreamy and more intense, there was no mistaking there.

When Fullmetal practically fled his office Roy was staring after him, analyzing what he'd just discovered. Everything made sense now, even though it was awfully strange. Alphonse's haste visit the night before and his vague words were now explained by the older brother's incriminating behavior. The door closed behind Edward's back, and Roy couldn't hold his smirk anymore.

So. His underage, _male_ subordinate had a crush on him. Well well well… that was interesting. His smirk widened as the various ways he could use this new development to benefit himself ran through his mind, too quickly, and there were too many for him to actually grasp any of them. He let it go. He was a quick thinker, he knew that – otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to when he was – and he trusted his brain to find him a good use of that information when needed it.

Roy arranged a meeting with all his soldiers just before they all left for the weekend. He announced that the writing process was finally done, and handed them all a copy of the finished script, and ordered them to memorize at least the first three scenes and practice their lines by the time they come back to the office, so they could start rehearsing. A month is a long time; but not nearly enough when trying to put on a show, where all the actors weren't really actors and had their regular work to do. They had to work fast to be prepared on time, and every minute counted.

Surprisingly enough, there wasn't any resistance at his words. During the last week he did his best to get everyone's morale up, walking around and separately letting every one of his subordinates know that the rest of the crew was very excited and he made sure that everyone keeps the prize in mind. They all wanted that vacation, and if Roy keeps playing his cards right, they will all see that this play is the best plan to get it.

As for himself, he spent the weekend resting from the exhausting writing process, and planning his future actions. He was the director; even if everyone did their parts perfectly, if he won't be able to conduct the orchestra right and made bad choices and decisions, it would all be in vain. Besides, he had to make sure that no one backs away, with the main issue being, obviously, Fullmetal. But the last time they saw each other gave him enough material to make sure the boy does what he's ordered, even if Roy had to be careful not to go too far. He wanted to play, to use his cards efficiently; not to break the boy's spirit.

By Monday he already had his plan, and a very tight schedule. If they'll be able to keep up with it, they'll be ready on time – and with a day or two to spare; but it was going to take up most of everyone's free time, and their best efforts. At five, when the work at the office was officially over, their entire department met at Roy's office. For the first time in his life he was glad it was such a huge room. When he came back from his last meeting for that day it seemed that everyone were already there, waiting for his orders.

"Alright," he started, addressing all those present. He opened his drawer, where the original copy of the script lay, ready and carefully noted, waiting since that morning when Roy entered. "Did everyone memorize their lines from the first three scenes?"

"Yes sir!" The answer came, a perfectly timed chime.

He smiled at his soldiers, and glanced at the paper in his hands. "Good. Fullmetal, Hughes, Falman and Ross. The first scene contains the four of you. Fullmetal and Hughes, you two start. Please step forward." He watched as three of the soldiers he'd just named took a step out of the line, and frowned when he realized that Edward wasn't among them. He frowned; amongst all his subordinates gathering in his big-yet-not-really-a-conference-room office he missed the fact that the teen wasn't there. It was to be expected, in a way, and gave Roy the answer as to why something didn't feel right when he had started talking, like there was something missing. He glanced around, and then narrowed his eyes. After their last conversation Roy suspected something like this might happen. The boy wasn't stupid; he'd understand he was being played with, eventually, and would do one of two things: show up and confront Roy in front of everybody, when no not-so-innocent comments could be made and he was safe from revealing his emotions again… or he would take the easier way out and simply run away. Roy honestly thought Ed had more courage than that, but he couldn't say he was surprised. Well, he'll have to deal with that later; right now, he still had a show to put up.

He relaxed his face, allowing a smug smirk to rise on his lips. "I see that Major Elric decided he's too good to join us. Major Armstrong, I need you to locate him and bring him here. I trust you to get this done." A nod, and the huge, blond Alchemist was out of the room. Roy could see him glancing in each direction just outside the office, as if he expected the stray Fullmetal to be hiding just outside the door.

Roy let out a sigh and shook his head once. "Since Fullmetal is one of the main characters in the first few scenes, we won't be able to start before he shows up. So, in the meanwhile… Second Lieutenant Havoc?"

"Yes sir?"

"Teach them that dance. Everyone here, except Maes, Riza and Denny, has to know it, and it's pretty simple so I suppose we'll manage to get it done by the time Alex comes back with Ed."

Jean grinned. It wasn't such a big part of the play, but, according to the Second Lieutenant, was crucial for the viewer in order to get the idea of just how sick the mansion the main protagonists entered was. He was the one who reminded Roy of the scene at one of their _finishing touches_ meetings. He showed Roy the dance, and it didn't take longer than half a round of that idiotic, disturbing dance to have it all flowing back into Roy's mind, reminding him the scene from the play and making him break out in laughter. When he calmed down, he told Jean they had to include that, but since no one would be willing to dance that some changes would have to be made. Thus, they spent the next half an hour trying to remove the… less innocent parts and replacing them with something that would still get the point of the scene without being too bold. It was tough but they managed it eventually.

Roy found himself smirking when Jean gathered the remaining soldiers of his department and started explaining about the 'jump to the left, step to the right' concept. His smirk evolved to a chuckle as he watched them struggle with the steps, and when Jean instructed them to join their thighs and shake their shoulders. It was charming to see the girls – Maria Ross and Sciezska blush and fail to do the choreography correctly.

"Sir, is it really necessary?..." Sciezska asked, red faced, and Roy was forced to erase the laugh from his face.

"It's a part of the play, Sciezska dear," he started, but was spared from trying to explain the twisted logic of the play as the door was kicked open and Alex walked into the room.

"I got him, sir!" he announced, and Roy turned to look at him, his breath almost getting caught in his throat at the sight. The large man was holding Edward over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but that wasn't what caught the Colonel's attention.

The exact angle in which the Strong Arm Alchemist held the boy gave Roy a very thorough look at the younger Alchemist's behind, clad in these awfully tight leather pants he always wore. Usually, Roy wouldn't pay much attention to it; he never saw Fullmetal as a sexual being, much less bothered to check out his body. But last week's events with his new realization that his underage subordinate actually could think of anything other than a way to get his brother's body back had its after-effects, and Roy found himself looking at the boy with a new interest. Bad kind of interest, considering Fullmetal was under the legal age, about half his age, and, worse of all – his subordinate.

Seeing just how well toned his ass was and how perfect it looked covered in the shape-complementing, overly inviting leather pants did him no good.

He swallowed, but before he could say anything Ed's furious voice could be heard, dangerously quiet. "You can let me down now, Major Armstrong."

"Only if you promise not to run away again, Fullmetal!"

"It's alright, let him go," Roy said, surprised to hear how tight his voice sounded. The sight of Edward's behind was overwhelming, and right now Roy couldn't afford losing concentration. Alex lowered the younger blond to the floor, eyeing him with suspicion as the red-faced boy looked at the opposite wall from the direction everyone stood, obviously embarrassed, and holding his shoulder. Roy wondered if he hurt it, but knew it didn't really matter.

Well, that was his problem he didn't show up on time.

"Good thing you finally joined us, Fullmetal," he said. Now, when there was nothing to distract him, he was able to speak with his regular, smug tone. He ignored Ed's 'yeah, right' remark. "We were waiting for you."

"You can keep waiting as long as you want. I'm not doing this, Colonel Bastard," Ed now looked at him. He was still red, and still awfully angry. Roy didn't expect anything else.

"Oh, but I thought we've already discussed this," he offered his most charming smile, making sure his tone was hinting enough to make the young Alchemist think about the last time they talked about the matter. The deeper shade of red that now decorated his face told Roy he did, in fact, think about that. "I still stand behind my words, Fullmetal," he paused, and then smirked as he thought of a new way to make his new revelations get the boy to do as he's told. "And that little show now just made me surer of what I told you last time." He made sure Edward had his eyes closely on him as he lowered his stare down the boy's body, intentionally checking him out.

He had to use all his strength not to laugh when Ed's red face was drained from all colour at his obvious reference, forced to be satisfied with only a smile. He knew the others were looking at the exchange, but he didn't care. Everyone knew he was a manipulative bastard; there were dozens of ways in which he could have made Fullmetal join the collective effort. There was no way anyone would find out what was _really _happening. Not if he'll be careful about it.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review ^-^

I really hope to get the next chapter up on Friday like I do every week, but I'm moving into my own apartment this week so the next chapter might be a little delayed. I will do my best to get it on time, but please don't be mad if I won't. With school and work and moving I might not be able to find the time... but I'll try!

Thanks for your patience.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Can't believe I actually managed it... lol

Hope to get next one up next week as usual, but still might be delayed a little.

Enjoy! xoxo

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**Sixth Chapter**

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Edward knew he was being played. It didn't take longer than ten minutes of frantic thinking after he left the bastard's office before he realized there was no way in hell Mustang was serious. It was too out of character to him to actually mean what he told him. First of all, everyone knew Roy was a lady's man. He didn't need favors from anyone on the matter, and probably had a different partner in his bed every night, and they all probably adored him. So what would he need Ed for? Secondly, Roy hated him. He knew that; there was no way around it. Ed was simply too stubborn and impulsive to be able to control himself around the Colonel, or anyone else for that matter.

Ed hit the wall next to him with his right hand. No, Roy didn't actually think he was worth a second look. Ed was simply foolish enough to somehow slip up and let his emotions become visible, and now the bastard was going to mock him for it and use it against him. That was just his luck. Letting his commander know he had a crush on him… perfect. Just bloody perfect.

That was why he was hiding in one of the Head Quarters lonelier corridors right now. He avoided seeing Mustang all day, and knew he had ordered the entire department to meet in his office at the end of the working day so they could start rehearsing. Ed had no intention of being there. How could he show his face in front of Roy now, after not only hinting the bastard he liked him but making it damn obvious during their last meeting? He spent the weekend dwelling on that, being so cranky Alphonse asked what was wrong, but was met with only short, nasty retorts until he realized the best strategy was to let Ed cool down and then, maybe, ask him again.

Ed could hear footsteps – the heavy military boots – pacing somewhere near him, and felt his body tense. He was on edge, and every time he heard someone drawing near he'd hope it was no one from Roy's subordinates coming to get him, because he knew they will. He was hiding here because he knew the first place they will look at would be his and Al's room at the dorms, and next would come the library. So he chose a random corridor in a different department and waited there for the danger to go away.

"Edward Elric!" he heard his name being roared, and, fearfully, he recognized the sound as Armstrong's voice. Ed jumped to his feet, trying to calculate which direction the voice was coming from so he could run the other way. Unfortunately, he didn't think fast enough and before he chose the right direction he could already see the huge alchemist appearing behind a corner. Well, at least now he didn't have to guess…

Ed didn't bother answering the other State Alchemist, choosing instead to sprint away.

"I'm very sorry, Elric, but I can't let you escape!" Ed heard the call behind him, and a second later he heard a loud _bang_ and a huge stone statue of Armstrong, shirtless as always, was drawn from the wall right in front of Ed, blocking his way. Crap. "Colonel Mustang sent me with a mission to get you, and I cannot go back to him without you."

"Really, Armstrong?" Ed started, trying to think of a way to destroy the statue without making the entire corridor collapse under its own weight. Alchemy worked on Equivalent Exchange; in order to create such a huge statue Alex had to take a lot of the stone that held the building up, just breaking it apart won't be a smart idea. He could simply transmute it into a pole, or a wall, but that won't stop Armstrong. He'd have to stall him until he has the element of surprise, and can use it as leverage when he runs again. "Do you really support that… _thing_ Colonel Bastard decided to put us through?"

Alex drew nearer, and Ed counted the steps. His timing has to be perfect, otherwise it wouldn't work. "I'm merely a simple Major, I just follow my orders. I trust the Colonel that he knows what he's doing, and if he decided this is the play that would grant us victory then this is the play we're doing – MAJOR ELRIC STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

The moment arrived, and Ed quickly clapped his hands and attached them to the statue, activating the transmutation that would turn the too-detailed figure into a thick pole to support the building. He didn't wait to see how his transmutation worked; the very second the blue light flashed and his course was clear, he broke out in a sprint again.

Another blue light flashed just in front of him, and Ed swore as he realized he had too much acceleration to stop in time, and he collided with the open hand that now appeared in the middle of the corridor. His shoulder hurt at the impact, and he thought he might have broken it. He let out a cry of pain, allowing his body to drop to the floor, acknowledging his defeat.

"I'm very sorry I had to hurt you, Edward, but you left me no choice," said Armstrong as he closed the distance between them. "I'm going to assume you won't come calmly, so I have to apologize again for what I'm going to do," he said, and Ed held his arm at the connection between his shoulder and arm, which still pulsed with pain. He tensed, knowing Alex won't really hurt him, but he was a big guy. How was he going to make him come along?

The answer wasn't late to come when Armstrong bent down and grabbed him. Ed gasped as he realized his colleague intended to carry him around like a child, his eyes going wide when the bigger Alchemist pretty much threw him over his shoulder, and now all Ed could see was his huge back and the connection of his pants with his shirt, or, more precisely, the little gap between them. The sight was sickening. "Let me down! I can walk, you know," he hissed, furious.

"I don't trust you not to run away again, Ed," came the answer, and he heard the other man growling shortly as he stood up and arranged Ed more comfortably on his shoulder. It was humiliating. Was he really going to carry him around like this until they reached Roy's office?

He might have to kill him – and himself right after – as a result, but right now there wasn't much he could do. He could transmute, but knew it would gain him nothing. Well then, he'd better just stay quiet and hope Alex will decide, before they arrive at Roy's office, that it was safe to let him go.

He tried his luck when they reached their department's building, but was faced with disappointment. Alex seemed to know him just too well, and refused to let him down before they entered Roy's office. He knew Alex opened the door and entered the room, but due to the position the Strongarm Alchemist held him in he couldn't see what was going on in the room and could only judge by the atmosphere. There was tension, and he knew Roy was there because just before Alex opened the door he heard his voice talking to Sciezska.

Suddenly, he was awfully aware of the way the people present in the room were seeing of him; his stomach resting on Armstrong's shoulder, he knew that whoever looked at them would, first of all, see his backside. He felt his face turning red as he realized what was the sight revealed to Mustangs eyes. "You can let me down now, Major Armstrong," he said, gathering all his strength to keep his voice even. It came out shaking, and he hoped the others perceived his lack of control as anger, rather than embarrassment and self-consciousness.

He thought he might give up and use his alchemy to get free when Armstrong still refused, but relieved when he heard Roy's voice assuring him that it was okay. The huge alchemist finally lowered him down to the floor, and Ed realized that there was something weird in the voice his commander used. Like he was forcing himself to say it, or was about to laugh, and Ed's face turned into a deeper shade of red as he realized what the cause has to be. He swallowed, and immediately decided that since there was nothing he could do about his blush, he should mask his feelings as anger.

Roy said something about waiting for him, but Ed couldn't bring himself to really face the man at the moment. The tension was cleared from his commander's voice, leaving no doubt in the young Alchemist's mind about the cause of that tension. "You can keep waiting as long as you want. I'm not doing this, Colonel Bastard," he said, and knew his voice was shaking. He lifted his face, making sure to adorn them with furious expression, and met Roy's smug smirk. He felt like punching him.

"Oh, but I thought we've already discussed this. I still stand behind my words, Fullmetal, and that little show now just made me surer of what I told you last time."

There was nothing about Roy that allowed him to have even the scarcest hope that he _wasn't_ referring to their last conversation in Roy's office. Not the suggestive tone, not the smirk, and most certainly not the look the older man was giving him as his eyes moved along Ed's body, delaying for a short, almost unnoticeable linger on his crotch before traveling back up. The look in Roy's eyes felt to him like something unnatural, capable of much more than just checking him out. He felt like Roy was stripping him naked with his gaze, and was, once again, awfully aware of the first sight he got of him just now, when he entered the room. He couldn't take it anymore, and he turned his face to the wall, unable to meet anyone's stare.

His hands clenched into fists, so tight it actually hurt in his flesh hand, but he didn't care. He knew he lost again. There was absolutely no doubt about it now: the bastard really did, somehow, notice Ed's feelings and had every malicious intention of using it against him. It was dangerous, as any sign of even slightly none-professional relationship between them would put them both in a difficult position, and they both knew it. Roy was actually counting on it; he probably knew Ed well enough to know he'd rather follow orders than let his weakness be known.

Damn that bastard for knowing him so well, and for being such a huge prick he'd use such information against him!

His nails dag into his flesh as he took in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "Yes, sir," he said, and felt his pride melting and dissolving into nothing.

"Good. So let's get to work now, we've already wasted so much precious time!" Ed could actually hear the smirk in Mustang's voice, and swallowed thickly. "Fullmetal and Hughes, like I said, the first scene is just the two of you. Basically Janet – played by Edward, and Brad – played by Maes, are a young couple who've just gotten engaged. You were on your way to visit a mutual friend – a professor who used to be your teacher – to tell him the news. You were driving in a forest, when you suddenly got a flat tire. Maes, first line is yours. No need to actually play the scene now, just quote your lines, we'll work on that first."

Ed swallowed again. He remembered that part from the script. It was a short brief that told the back story. Ed didn't understand how it really connected to the rest of the story; but then again, nothing – not even the rest of the story – connected to the rest of the story.

"Fullmetal, the first line is yours. _A loud BANG. _Go ahead, sound as scared as you can."

Ed frowned. Did he really expect him to remember the lines? There was only so much he could do. It was bad enough to be forced to participate. No one could force him to actually put any effort into it. Well then, he'd just play along.

"What was that sound?" he said, not even trying to hide his indifference.

"A tire must have blown," said Hughes, but Mustang stopped them there.

"No, no, stop this," he called, and Ed looked at him, making sure to put as much hate in his gaze as he could. "I asked you to _play_ the lines. Fullmetal, I need to _believe_ you. Right now you sounded dead." There was a short pause, and then Roy looked directly at him, a mischievous spark in his eyes. "Show me some passion, Edward."

Ed froze for a second, before he let out a sigh in an attempt not to burst out. He knew exactly what Roy was doing. He could transmute something to hit him, or just go over there and enjoy the impact, but he knew it was a bad idea. He settled for narrowing his eyes and muttering an annoyed 'fine' before he cleared his throat. He didn't have many choices, he knew that; Roy won't let him out of it, and he couldn't confront him about it in front of everyone. He was way too aware that they were all staring at him; at first they were just watching the scene, probably curious to see how the play goes – even if it's only the beginning – but now they seemed more eager to know how the notorious Fullmetal Alchemist would react to an order like _that_.

Well, he wasn't going to give them any kind of show. It could only get worse for him, what with Roy so obviously planning to use everything against him.

"_What was that sound?_" he said again, assuming he somehow hit the right line before. This time, however, he tried to sound surprised and worried. He was good at pretending, when he actually wanted to; he'd survived many missions until now simply by pretending to be someone he was not, or not knowing something he already did. It seemed to have worked; Roy didn't stop him now, and actually looked pleased. Not that Ed was doing this to please him, of course.

"_A tire must have blown_," said Hughes again, perfectly reacting to Ed's improved acting. The young alchemist wasn't surprised; after all, Maes was a part of the intelligence department. He was supposed to be good at pretending as well. "_I _knew _I should have fixed our spare one!_"

"_What an asshole – _"

"Fullmetal! That's not your line! It's not even the right time for the character to speak!" Roy glared at him. Oh, so he really did expect him to know his lines. Well, too bad then.

"But he's an asshole. Who doesn't fix the spare tire when they go on a journey on a stormy night? That's just asking for trouble – "

"That doesn't matter! That's how the play goes! If he'd acted rationally there would be no play," Roy let out a sigh, looking as if he wanted to kick Ed's ass. The teen counted that as a score for himself. "Do you even know your lines, Fullmetal?"

"Nope." Ed smirked as he saw Roy almost giving in to being angry; but he wasn't rewarded with an outburst as the Colonel seemed to regain his self control.

"You were supposed to memorize it by today, it was an order."

"Didn't bother. I _don't want to be here_."

"Neither does any of us, Major, but we're here anyway because we know it's for a good cause." Ed turned his head towards Falman when he heard him speak. He frowned. "Don't you want to go on vacation on military expense? Get a week off to forget all about work…"

"Maybe you can get them to pay for that friend of yours. The Rockbell girl." Jean winked at him, and Ed realized he meant he might want to bring her along as his date. Well, that made sense, he assumed… except they were more like brother and sister than anything else, and if there was anyone he wanted to spend time with _as a couple_… that would've been with Roy.

He felt the rush of heat in his cheeks as he thought of that, and couldn't help the wave of anger running through him. Why was he thinking such things, _now_, out of all times? It was the most inappropriate moment to think about it; besides, right now all the bastard did was to annoy him. So what if his smug smirk was gorgeous and the angry spark in his black eyes was mesmerizing, and wasn't there a hint of something else he witnessed just now?

_No! You have to stop thinking about it!_ He told himself firmly in his head. Even though Mustang already figured it out somehow, that didn't mean he should let the entire department figure it out as well!

He breathed in deeply, forcing himself to calm down. He'd never been so unable to control his own thoughts, and he assumed the blame lay with Mustang. Until last week he knew his crush was stupid and hopeless, and he treated it as such: covering his emotional turbulence with rage. It was easy and believable. But then the bastard had to go and plant this tiny hope within him, that even though his brain knew was total bullshit, his heart simply couldn't ignore… and now he was just all over the place, confused and frustrated with his own stupidity.

Well, there was nothing he could do about his reactions right now, it was too late, and there was no way Roy would let him out of it easily. The best strategy right now was letting the rest of them think he was tensed now because they brought Winry up. He assumed it'd make sense, and take the focus off the weird conversation between himself and the Colonel.

"Fine," he said, trying to cover his defeat with annoyance. "I'll read it for next time."

"Very good," Roy smirked at him, and then handed out a pack of papers. "Take this copy for now. We can't delay with the rehearsals just because princess Elric-" Ed felt his face turning red with rage. "-decided it's below him to memorize his lines like the rest of us. Come on, we've already wasted enough time because of you."

Ed closed the distance between himself and his commander and grabbed the papers he held out – a copy of the script, and a second look showed him this one had a lot of remarks next to lines. It was probably the original copy Roy and the rest have written. He then immediately took a few steps backwards, creating distance between them again. It was difficult enough to be stuck in the same room with Mustang as it was, when he manipulated him endlessly without Ed really having any way of fighting back; he didn't need to feel his breath on his neck as well.

"Let's get started again, then. I expect you to do it correctly this time, Fullmetal. Don't disappoint me." He smirked, his smirk, beautiful, annoying, inviting, demanding-a-punch smirk, and Ed shot a glare in his direction to let him know he knew what he was doing, but wasn't reacting due to logic alone.

They started the scene, and Ed said out the lines almost entirely as written in the script, trying to act it out good enough so Roy won't blame him he wasn't trying. It became more difficult when right next to them Roy instructed the large group of soldiers to practice something else – some sort of a weird dance – and Ed had to keep from crying out loud how stupid it was and walk away. Roy was staring at him during most of the time, somewhat thoughtfully, even when there was this awfully distracting dance being practiced so near them, and Ed remembered Alphonse's words: _do you really think he'd force himself to suffer your presence if he didn't like you too? Maybe he _wants_ to see you without your clothes._ It seemed so stupid at the time, so farfetched Ed waved that option off immediately, but now he wasn't so sure it was so unbelievable anymore.

Ed knew he didn't have many choices right now. He'd just have to play Roy's game for now, and learn how to be better.


	8. Interlude: Al's POV

**A/N:** Sorry for being late, but at least I got it done this week!

This one's a little bit different. Don't worry, going back to the same style next week :) Hopefully my updates would return to the every-Friday routine, but I can't see any reason why not.

Enjoy! xoxo

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**Interlude - Al's POV**

.

The streets of Eastern were always unpleasant, but during nighttime they were even worse. Being so close to the desert, all kinds of people tended to invade through the border. It was impossible to prevent it in such an open line, no matter how many soldiers were put on guard.

Not that it mattered that much. He could protect himself perfectly well if needed, and there weren't many things that could be a threat to him – or even be brave enough to try. Besides, he already knew where he was heading and what was the shortest way there; he didn't have much time anyway.

It took him less than ten minutes to walk to his destination, but when he reached it, it seemed that the place was empty. _Strange_, he thought to himself. The person he was scheduled to meet was supposed to be here already, but then again, he always had the tendency to be early. There was no use in being worried just yet; he could wait a few minutes. It was worth it.

Those few minutes became time for thinking. He let out a sigh as he began to question the rightfulness of his cause. His brother would hate him for it… if he ever found out; that much, at least, was for sure. But there was no reason he'd find out, unless he starts asking too many question. He really hoped he won't.

A rustling sound somewhere near drew his attention, making him tense and turn his eyes towards the source of it. Powerful or not, he was still technically a child and he was scared. True, he had planned this meeting and worked very hard to find this specific person during the last week, but that didn't matter, his bravery won't betray him. He shook in his place for a few seconds with anticipation, hope and fear, until the newcomer was revealed by the dim artificial light of the street, and he let out a sigh of relief when he recognized the man.

"Sorry to have met you so late, it was impossible for me to come here in a sane hour," he apologized, but was hastily dismissed.

"Never mind, it's really fine."

"Did you bring it?"

"Of course!" the man handed out a bag.

He took it, and glanced inside. _Perfect_, it looked like it was just what he asked for. He'd have to check it again when he gets back to the dorms and have a moment alone, but it seemed right.

"Thank you very much. You have no idea how much help you'd been!"

"Eh, don't worry about it. You just keep your part of the deal and we're cool, alright?"

Alphonse nodded. If everything goes right, then he'd be able to keep his promise. There was no reason for things to mess up, not the way things looked right now. He smiled, even though the other man couldn't see it. He thanked him again before walking into the night, and back to headquarters.

Alphonse's heart beat would have been beating rapidly, had he had a heart. It was the second time he stood in front of that house's door, but – even though he knew he had no reason to – he was still terrified. He felt out of place, like he had no right to be there; he was probably right, but no one but himself and probably Ed would tell him so. He knew it was stupid to feel so nervous, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He stared at the wooden door, thinking about the last time he'd been here, his fingers fumbling with the paper bag in his hands. He was even more nervous back then, a little more than a week ago, when he intended to hint Roy of the right way to approach Ed but ended up accidently being a little bit _too_ clear as to what exactly the man should do. He had no idea how his presence would be accepted back then; but all his fears were blown when the door opened and Mustang looked at him, more surprised and worried than anything else. He let him in and immediately questioned about his and Ed's well being, and Al in his turn assured him everything was alright. He could still remember the insides of the house; a bachelor's apartment that looked as such, apart from the mess Al knew usually accompanied that description. But Mustang was a very well-organized man, so it was only to be expected. Still, he remembered seeing an empty cup of coffee resting on the table, a pack of papers laying around it as well as an open newspaper.

Alphonse remembered that newspaper; it wasn't that day's paper, and when he drew closer while he and Mustang talked he could read the title, he realized what it was that caught his attention. It was an article about a play; a play he vaguely remembered by name, but it wasn't until he left the house and started walking back towards the headquarters that he managed to pick just the right context. It was the same play Roy was forcing Ed to participate in; he'd never watched it, but it was well-known, if you knew where to look. It was the dark, quiet streets of Eastern that reminded him. Back in Central, before they were forced to move to Eastern, he used to walk around the streets at night when Ed was asleep, both to make the time pass and to try and pick any clues they might not be able to find when morning crawls back. Central was safer than Eastern, so they both felt safe enough; Ed to allow Alphonse to walk around at night, and Al to leave Ed sleeping alone in their room. That way, Alphonse slowly got to know the nightlife of the lively Central. He came across many things; some he didn't understand, upon others he frowned and the rest he wished he had his body back so he and Ed could go to.

He tended to talk with a lot of people during those walks. He was always very social – way more so than Ed – and enjoyed meeting new people and talking with them; but that was only one reason he engaged in conversations with the Central dwellers. Talking to people, especially unsuspecting out-goers, was very useful when trying to find things that were supposed to be hidden: weird happenings, some crazy neighbor, an abandoned building being put into illegal use… he managed to find out a lot, shared it with Ed in the morning and many times they used the information in Ed's missions, or sometimes even in their never-ending search for the Philosopher's Stone.

However, some of that information seemed less useful. For example, there was this one time he noticed a group of really strange-dressed people, hanging out outside of an old looking building, waiting for something. They looked young and safe enough so he approached.

That was how he found out about a weird cult of people, which apparently was a very large network. They offered him to join them, but he refused politely; talking to them was one thing, but he wasn't stupid enough to enter an abandoned building with this bunch of strange people he didn't even know. But that was the first name he heard that name, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Now, it all seemed to make sense; he remembered smiling at the deviousness of Mustang; to pick a not so well known play that has a small, but really strong fan base… yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Since it was so, Alphonse decided that he'd try even harder to help. Edward and him needed this thing to work out; otherwise it would all be for nothing, and they'd still have to find a way to pay for their trip to Western.

Alphonse smiled to himself at the memory; he knew what he did was wrong. It wasn't his place to interfere, and if Ed would ever find out _he_ was the one who tipped his commander about the right way to approach him… well, he'd probably never forgive him. Unless things will go as they should, but right now the younger Elric wasn't so sure.

It wasn't that he wanted his brother to suffer. Not even close; he loved Ed more than he loved his own life, and he knew that if they lost each other he probably won't survive it. It was unhealthy, he knew, but they only had each other. All he wanted was to see Ed's bright smile, beaming and genuine, and he didn't mind what the cause for that smile was. That was the reason that when he first realized Ed had shown more than just simple hate towards the colonel he wasn't mad, or disgusted, or annoyed, or anything other than curious, and later on - amused. It took him quite a long time to figure this out: a few months of carefully watching his brother and trying to figure out why he was acting so strangely whenever Roy was mentioned or was around. His reactions to anything concerning the older man had always been overdone; he talked about him too often, and when he did it was always with that strange look on his face, and eventually Al managed to connect the dots and get the whole picture.

Alphonse was glad his brother was so crappy at keeping his feelings from showing on his face. Otherwise he couldn't do anything to remove the frustration from his brother's mind, as he rarely talked about feelings. More accurately, he never spoke about emotions unless prompted and forced to. But now that Al knew… he was willing to do anything to let Ed get what he wanted.

He let out a sigh and knocked on the door, holding tight to the package he held in his hands and patiently waited as Mustang's voice could be heard, somewhat surprised, from the other side. He heard muffled steps, and then Roy's voice again, this time much closer.

"Who is it?"

"Alphonse Elric, sir. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, not at all!" came the answer, and soon after there was the clicking sound of the lock and the door was open. On its other side stood Mustang, only wearing half of his uniform – a white shirt that clung to his well-toned upper body and the blue pants of the uniform. Even though he himself was more likely to find a feminine figure attractive, he couldn't deny that his brother had really good taste. Alphonse felt like he'd blush if he had skin. He probably interfered just before the man was about to go to bed… but what other option did he have? He couldn't talk to Roy while Ed was awake. "Please, come inside. Is everything alright?"

Alphonse smiled. It was just like last time. "Yes, definitely so sir – "

"Just 'Roy' is fine, I'm not on duty right now, and it seems to become a habit of yours to visit me at my home." Mustang smiled and closed the door behind Alphonse; even though one might think that his words were a scolding, Alphonse could hear the playful tone of his voice. He was relieved, even though he still felt bad interfering like this.

" – Roy," the youngest Elric corrected himself. "Just dropping by to… eh, give you something," he handed out the brown bag he brought along. It was already crumbled from all his nervous fumbling, but he doubted Mustang would care. "Do you have something that plays records?"

Roy frowned, looking even more baffled than last time, when Alphonse told him he intended to help him with the play. "Yes, but why – " he started, and took the package from Al, looking inside. "What is this?"

"Just something I found. Brother told me what the play is about and then I stumbled across this… I don't know if it'd be any help or if it's even the same thing," he lied. "But maybe it is. Maybe you should check it out."

Roy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where did get this from?"

Damn. He forgot that despite everything Ed was saying, the colonel was far from being unobservant. "Found it around. Just check it out and don't tell anyone – especially not Ed – I gave this to you. I have to go now, Ed might wake up and – "

"Wait, Alphonse." Even though he said he wasn't on duty, his voice sounded awfully order-like. Al stopped mid turn. "Why are you doing this? Why do you know which play it is, or that it even existed, and how did you know how Fullmetal would react to me acting nice?"

"I can't answer that," he answered. "Just trust me. It worked well for you last time, right?"

"Yes, but, Alphonse, this is – "

"I have to go! If Ed realizes I'm talking to you you'll never manage to get him to do his part! Listen to that record and see if it helps you, okay? I'm terribly sorry to be bothering you like that and have no answers but you have to understand, sir, I can't risk Ed finding out any of this… Good night, sir!"

Without really waiting for Roy to say anything else, Alphonse completed his turn and fled through the door. That was dangerous, he thought to himself as he strode away from his brother's commander's house. Being so sharp… why did he even need Al's advice when it came to Ed? He should've figured out by now that Ed liked him. Alphonse was so sure this was the reason Mustang started this whole thing; what other reason would he have to place Ed in the leading role?

But Roy sounded mad, and annoyed. Maybe he'd read the whole situation wrongly. Maybe what he did would only make his brother sad in the long run. He probably should've never interfered, should've let Roy blackmail Ed and leave it at that. But four years of having no real face of his own made Al very interested in studying other people's expressions, and the anger in Mustang's voice didn't cover the gratefulness in his eyes.

Alphonse was confused – he realized that as he hurried back to the headquarters. He was getting mixed messages from the colonel, and the fact that Ed was coming back to their room moody every night didn't add to Alphonse's confidence about his actions. Well, there was only one way to find that out. He'd have to go and see for himself what was happening when these two were together.

And so, the following afternoon Alphonse found himself walking around the headquarters, the same corridors he already knew so well from accompanying his brother. He even knew the way to Roy's office without bothering to check out his surroundings, and waved at soldiers he recognized. There weren't many around at this time, though; most of the people he knew were under Roy's command, and they all were supposed to be at the rehearsal – exactly the place he was heading to – and the others were already at their homes, resting and trying to forget about their responsibilities until a new day comes and they have no other option anymore. The people he met were mostly guards, and the few poor souls that were on night duty, and he didn't know most of them. It was actually a good thing – the less people who saw him, the less chance his brother will know he was there.

It didn't take him long to reach the corridor where Mustang's office was, and he could hear the voices carried towards him from the department's main secretary's desk, at the hall leading towards the room. He smiled as he recognized a song that was playing; it was the end of it, but that was one of the fanbase's favorites. He then heard his brother's voice, distinctively louder and ruder than any of the other's. He only said 'thank you', but somehow he managed to make it sound the least grateful words on earth. Alphonse almost couldn't hold a chuckle when his brother's voice was heard again, this time even louder. "_Oh… Brad!"_ quickly followed by Lieutenant Colonel Hughes saying something about aces. Alphonse wasn't sure he was correct – after all, he himself had never watched the play, only had too many conversations with those who worshipped it – that was the scene Ed was complaining about when he first read the play. Oh, what a perfect timing for his little examination! No better time to see if he was right, or if he ruined everything than a scene where Ed was supposedly being undressed. If he could only get a glimpse at the colonel's face, that'd be perfect –

"Ow! Sorry, sir," Alphonse automatically apologized when he heard – more than felt – someone bumping into him. He turned towards the person on an instinct, and noticed it was a soldier, not of a very high rank. It was lower than Ed's, as far as Alphonse's knowledge of the military went. Not that it mattered much. He seemed somewhat familiar, but not someone he recognized. Just another face of the many he'd seen hurrying around the place on his frequent visits. He didn't belong to Roy's squad, and Alphonse wondered for a second what he was doing there. But the man smiled at him, and offered an apologize of his own before continuing on his way.

The youngest Elric reached the door that led to Mustang's office, relieved to find it a little bit opened. He was careful not to make any noise as he leaned sideways, trying to peek inside the room without being seen, and, had he had any lungs, he would have choked at the sight.

He could barely see Ed, standing behind Falman just in front of the door, both standing with their backs at him; across from him stood Lieutenant Colonel Maes, and next to him stood Second Lieutenant Ross. Both Ed and Hughes were topless. Alphonse had to gather all his self control not to laugh at the sight – Ed looked so uncomfortable standing like this in front of his department, even though most of them have already seen him like that. When Winry'd come in for maintenance, he'd sit like this, shirtless, and he never cared who saw him. Alphonse wondered if it was the situation or Roy's presence in the room that caused him to be so nervous, but he noted that this question would have to wait until later. Right now, what he wanted to see was the colonel's reaction to the whole thing, and he searched him with his eyes. The scene kept playing in front of his eyes.

"_You're very lucky to be invited to Frank's laboratory. Some people would give their right arm for the privilege!" _Schezka said, and Alphonse suddenly noticed her standing there too, holding what seemed to be Maes' uniform shirt and Ed's red coat, vest and tank shirt in her arms. She sounded very nervous and awkward, and he watched Ed's face turning towards her.

"Well, I already lost mine," he said, and Alphonse saw him gesturing his automail arm at the poor librarian, and then there was a wave of hesitant laughter around the room – and the younger Elric found himself joining that, happy that the sound from the room drowned his own.

"Cut! Ed, that was a good one," Alphonse saw Roy finally walking into view and grinning at his brother. Alphonse agreed with the colonel on that one. But he tried not to dwell on that, doing his best to focus on Mustang. The fact he was calling his brother by his first name was already a good sign, but then again, after a whole week of rehearsing he'd probably gotten tired of calling everyone by their ranks. He focused on the older man's eyes, and was happy to see that they were set on Ed. "Think you'd be able to repeat that on stage, with all the people watching? I don't want to make you feel more uncomfortable than necessary…" there was softness in his voice, light gentleness Alphonse wasn't used from his brother's commander, and his expression was slightly different than the one usually adorning his face. He looked genuinely concerned now.

"They're gonna see my automail either way, Mustang. No point in hiding it when you're fuckin' get me undressed on the stage."

Roy chuckled. "You have a point. Very well then, I'll add this line. Very good job, Ed, I'm proud of you."

Alphonse could feel his brother's temper even before his sarcastic retort, but Alphonse wasn't expecting the suggestive hue of his voice – so light most people won't pick on it, but Al know Ed far too well to miss that. He focused on Roy, noting any tiny change in his expression – he saw how his grin changed into a genuine smile, the barely noticeable spark in his eyes… It was all barely noticeable, but Alphonse didn't spend his last four years reading people for nothing.

Smirking to himself, he stepped away from the door. That was all the proof he needed. He was definitely doing the right thing, there was no mistaking it. There are no words to describe the relief he found at that.


	9. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I'm so so so SO sorry for skipping last week! I really had every intention of finishing on time, and I have no idea what got over me that I just couldn't write! Anyway, next chapter is here... and as compensation there are two things: first, this chapter is much longer than the average of this fanfiction! about 1500w over it, actually. I hope it's good, too... well, that's up to you, my dear readers, to judge! The second thing is that I uploaded another Ed/Roy [sort of] one shot! It's two-parts, and right now only the first one is up but second one will be up on Tuesday, so you can go to my profile and have a look, if you hadn't done so so far!

Thank you all for your patience with me, and again I would like to apologize for the HUGE delay

That's it... On to the chapter!

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**The Charity Event: Chapter 7**

You could learn new things every day. Roy knew that fact from a very young age; his mother had taught him that when he was a child and claimed he was bored, and life taught him that later, when he joined the military. Now Alphonse Elric was proving it yet again. If he thought Alphonse's first visit was baffling, his second one made even less sense.

Roy listened to the record the youngest Elric confided him with. His curiosity didn't let him wait with that until a saner hour than a little after midnight, and by the time the second song played he was no longer tired. It was the original sound track of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. How on earth did Alphonse get his hands on this thing he had no idea, but it was a blessing: Breda's composing was fine, but it just didn't fit the play just right. Roy noticed that when they were practicing the dancing and nothing was really working too well. He was trying to alter the steps, but he couldn't get it right. Having _this_… could solve everything.

He introduced the new music to Breda first thing the following day, and was relieved when the second lieutenant wasn't offended by Roy's new offer; on the contrary, he seemed just as relieved and confessed that he managed to have only two songs ready, and even with them he wasn't pleased, really. Getting to work with the songs Roy gave him left him only with the mission to get the notes out of the music and finding people who could play the instruments.

By the time of their daily rehearsal Heymans came over and told Roy he was done with the notes. "They weren't very complicated," he smiled sheepishly at Roy's apparent appreciation. "I'd just like to ask… do you want us to perform the songs, or maybe you'd prefer to use the record you gave me? It's possible, sir."

Roy considered the idea. Until now, he had no doubt he was going to have to make his soldiers sing… but there was no guarantee any of them _could_ sing. An image popped in his head; Falman and Ross moving on the stage around Fullmetal and Maes, singing – Ross was okay, but inside his head Falman's voice was terrible. The picture quickly changed as his mind played it, and he could see Havoc, wearing the corset they've been working on and high heels Roy assumed they would have to make especially for him, marching around and singing about being a sweet transvestite… and Roy wasn't able to stop his smirk anymore when that view changed into Ed, wearing a purple dress and singing in a feminine, high-pitched voice. The smirk almost grew into a full-out laughter, but Roy did his best to keep his thoughts to himself. He cleared his throat, trying to push the hilarious images to the back of his head. He still wasn't sure if it was an awesome idea or a really, really bad one – but then again, he still had time to change things like that. And his play would be rendered worthless when Ed goes up on the stage, an obvious male, and supposedly sings in a voice that could come out only from a female. Never mention the song that Riza would have to sing when she first shows up on the stage… No; he'll try to make them all sing, and use the records as a last resort only.

"I'd like my characters to sing their own songs," Roy said, trying to keep his expression professional. "Can you make the arrangements for that?"

"I'm going to need to use people from the outside in that case. I'm not going to find all the instruments here in Headquarters."

"No problem. We have the budget for it, and you have my permission… as long as you make sure the people you're choosing are trustworthy. I don't want to end up getting the whole plan screwed up because of it."

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Now – " Roy started, but before he managed to ask about the other soldiers who were supposed to show up, his office's door opened and Edward walked in. Roy wasn't surprised; not anymore.

The first time Ed showed up on time for a rehearsal was a shock for Roy; the memory of the tantrum of the day before still vividly clear in his mind. But he could still remember the spark in Ed's eyes when he forced him to play his part right: understanding and ambitious. That stare reminded Roy more than anything else the look Ed had in his eyes years ago, when he offered the broken child a chance of regaining everything he'd lost. He could never forget that kind stare: pure gold, burning with a flame that even Roy's alchemy couldn't produce. Since that day, Ed was always there on time – and, surprisingly enough, even knew his lines. He was even adding his own spirit to the character, taking it to a slightly different than the original role but Roy found that the changes actually worked.

Now the boy entered his office as if it was his own – which wasn't a new thing as well, the brat treated everything as if it belonged to him – and promptly sat down on his sofa. He barely bothered to spare a look in his and Breda's direction, instead glancing around the room. "Ah, again I'm the first one to show up? What a drag…" he said, crossing his legs and only now turning his eyes towards Roy. His stare, yet again, was disturbing in Roy's opinion.

He remembered Alphonse's words from his first visit, and remembered the realization the morning that followed. He knew that his subordinate had inappropriate feelings towards him, but until that day it was nothing but a game to Roy. He'd fool around, pressing Ed's soft points to get him to do whatever he wanted, but something had changed in the last few days. There was no more of the childish, embarrassed blush to decorate the boy's honey-coloured skin, only determination in his strong features, and Roy found himself mesmerized. How could that brat change so quickly? He barely even noticed it, but what that had started as a joke on Edward's expense was changing its course and Roy could feel the buds of attraction blooming within him. It was no longer just the well shaped body that attracted his attention –even though Ed really did have an impressing body – but something deeper. He found himself staring at the boy during the rehearsals, trying to read into his actions and figure out why he was so easily cooperating after making it clear he wasn't interested. He found himself enjoying his acting – the boy was actually a very good Janet. Not the same as the original one, but a way more hilarious kind of a character.

"Don't sound so grim, Fullmetal. Soon the others would show up so you won't have to be stuck here just with Second Lieutenant Breda and me," Roy said with a smirk, and soon enough the door to his office opened to prove he was right. Riza, punctual as always, entered the office in her usual professional manner.

"Here for the rehearsal, sir," she said, and saluted. Roy was really starting to get tired of it; on duty it was one thing, but their play was supposed to feel a little less tense than the regular environment of the work hours. Roy took it very seriously, but there was no way around the jokes and fails and general loose atmosphere of their meetings. _Maybe that's part of the reason everything feels so different?_ The thought crossed Roy's mind as a sudden clarity. That sure would explain the change in the interaction between himself and the elder Elric. So maybe it was just the general free feeling of the rehearsals that were to blame to the freedom he felt to be staring at his subordinate.

He didn't have much time to dwell over that thought as the rest of the group entered the room, one at a time, each bidding their greeting despite the fact they've just spent a whole day of working together, and Roy was forced to focus on the job at hand. He forced his mind off Ed, and looked at his soldiers.

"Alright! Welcome back, everyone. I've got some news," he started, and looked at everyone as they were staring at him. He noted the raised eyebrow on Fullmetal's face. "We've got the notes for the music! So from today, we can start practicing with it. For now, we'll only use the record, but Second Lieutenant Breda will help you all with the singing – "

"_Singing?_ You said nothing about fucking _singing_!"

Roy let out a sigh as he watched the raged expression on Ed's face. As much as he was cooperating now, he knew there was no way he'd get his way easily on this one. "Yes, Fullmetal. It's a _musical_, or haven't you noticed all the dancing?" He made sure to make his voice sound as mocking as possible, rather than just annoyed. But he was master at pretending and watching the boy turning red with fury and he was just so cute when his eyes narrowed like that and looked so panicked –

_No. Quit that. You're an adult, not some idiotic teenager,_ Roy thought angrily. He's_ an idiotic teenager, you shouldn't think about him that way._

"You're all going to have to sing. I don't expect it to be perfect, this play is supposed to be funny. It might actually be better that way. Besides, that's an order."

"I – _fine_. But don't get your hopes up; I'm not going to go all opera-mode on stage, Mustang." Ed's amber eyes were burning, but if it was hate or something else Roy couldn't tell.

He grinned. "I never asked you to. Alright, enough with that! Since now we have the music, and we've been through first reading, I want us today to start _acting_. We don't have much time and there's a lot to do, so let's get started! First scene, Fullmetal and Hughes. Action!"

Roy watched as the scene played in front of him. It wasn't very good acting – although he had to admit that there was some improvement. They only had to repeat the scene five times before Roy was pleased enough to move on. He tried not to laugh as Maes and Ed pretended to ring a door bell, and poor Vato putting on his creepiest expression, muttering 'hello' in a nasal sound, but couldn't hold the smirk back when Ed's face twisted in disgust. Boy, he made a very good decision, letting him play Janet…

Maes smiled, and offered his hand to Vato. "_Hi. My name is Brad Majors, and this is my fiancée Janet Weiss. I wonder if you could help us. You see, our car broke down a few miles down the road. Do you have a phone we might use?_"

"_You're wet._"

Roy watched as Ed's jaw dropped. He really was good at this. Just how many times did he use his awesome acting skills on Roy without him even knowing? Roy found himself wondering. Just how much did he really know about that kid?

"_Yeah, asshole, it's raining."_

"Fullmetal, you should watch your mouth when you're on the stage!" He said, glaring at Edward. The young alchemist just looked back at him sheepishly and shrugged before he spoke.

"It's not like it's the kind of play where kids could be present in the audience anyway. Why do you care? It makes it funnier. You wanted funny."

"He has a point, sir. As much as I'm not pleased with a child like him – "

"For the thousandth time, I'M NOT A CHILD!"

Roy chuckled shortly at Ed's outburst, although a thought crossed his mind. He'd better stop thinking about him as a child, considering the course his thoughts were getting; or, better yet, stop that train of thought altogether. He was in it for the fun; using the information Alphonse had given him in order to get what he wanted, and nothing more. Sure, the boy looked great in those leather pants, and Roy really _was_ looking forward to the scene when he's supposed to be undressed –

_Maybe I just need to get out and find someone to spend the night with_, Roy thought, abruptly cutting that thought. It really had been long since the last time he had the chance to go to the bar and pick someone up. Perhaps it was starting to get to him.

" – really don't see what's so wrong with a little swearing. It makes the character more believable."

Roy missed a part of the conversation, suddenly noticing it wasn't only Edward and Riza discussing the wearing issue but the rest of the crew as well. He closed his eyes and took a bossy breath. "You will not swear on stage, Fullmetal, and that's final. No matter if there are children in the audience or not, we're still a governmental institute and we cannot be caught using foul language while performing for the people."

"Oh, right. Saying 'asshole' is wrong but taking my and Hughes' clothes off, planning a fucking women's underwear – _a corset_ – for _Havoc_ is acceptable? Your logic sucks."

"Fullmetal…" Roy's patience was starting to break as he did his best to ignore the murmurs of agreement from his men. His hand clenched into a fist and his eyes closed in frustration. "These are the rules. Follow them or face the consequences, which you already know what they are," Roy opened his eyes to look at Ed, making sure to convey his seriousness with that stare only. He knew that even though his blackmailing changed into sweet-talking and seducing, the original threat – not letting Ed follow that lead he got – would do the job just fine. But, hey, one could never be too cautious. He watched as the boy opened his mouth to continue arguing, and decided that adding a little bit of his new method of persuading wouldn't hurt. "Edward… don't disappoint me."

He watched with a smirk as Ed's face gained a nice shade of red, and it seemed like he forgot to breathe for a second; but he narrowed his eyes "_Fine_. What's the damn line then?"

"It'd work if you just won't swear. Falman, your line again, please."

They repeated this part. Ed sulked, but did as he was told – Roy wondered if it was the threat or the request that had the larger weight in his decision to do as he was told, but truth was, it didn't really matter. It took him a moment – or, at least, until it was Ross' time to enter the scene to regain his 'acting mode'. Well, it wasn't like it was their only rehearsal. Roy knew there would be many, many more, and for now he preferred Ed to get in the mood so they could work on it properly before their time ends. They all had homes to go back to, and most of his crew had families as well, so he preferred to just get as far in the play as possible for today.

He decided that they won't work on the dance today; it simply wasn't ready enough yet to do anything with it that would benefit them; the next song, however, was a completely different story. Roy gave the order, and Heymans started the record, quickly searching for the right place for that song; there were four songs before it, three of them that Roy chose not to include; well, he was still thinking about one of them, but they contributed nothing to the plot and were just plain stupid – and not the funny kind. Except for one of them; the proposal song. It was hilarious, but Roy knew there was only so much he could push Ed; he didn't want to go too far, and forcing him to sing along with Maes a song about a wedding proposal… Roy was afraid that would simply be too much.

The scene, however, continued to play in front of his eyes.

"_Brad, say something!"_ There was panic missing from Ed's voice; but it wasn't anything Roy won't be able to fix once they have the song prepared. He looked terrified enough the other day when they were only practicing it; Roy knew that if the song and its lyrics will be added his acting would be genuine.

He watched with delight as Maes arranged the glasses on his nose. It was a really good addition; he wasn't planning on it at first, but the fact that Hughes wore glasses worked really well with the character. "_Say, does any of you know how to Madison?"_ Roy smiled at his best friend; that was the perfect tone, and the annoyed eye-rolling from Ed's side was even better. But then again, that kind of things were Fullmetal's specialty. He perfected the skill during the last three years, when, from some reason, he tended to think that Roy was acting stupidly on a daily basis. Roy, of course, disagreed; but it was the teen's job to disrespect figures of authority, he assumed.

"_Brad, come'on, let's get out of here – "_

"_Calm down, it's just a party. We have to get to a phone, then we can leave."_

Roy heard the faint laugh at Ed's annoyed face. The kid really was very good at scolding people. _"Well, then, ask the butler or something! I'm cold, I'm wet and I'm just plain scared! Let's get out of here!" _He started walking backwards.

With his best efforts not to laugh, Roy watched Jean drawing closer slowly, a mischievous expression on his face.

"_I'm here, there's nothing to worry about."_ Maes smiled at Ed, who, in turn, only sulked, until his back hit Jean. Luckily enough they've already been through this scene enough times for Ed to know he should look scared, and so he did. Roy would have to find the time to convince him to pretend he faints, but for now, that should be enough.

Jean pushed through Ed and Maes as he marched forward. As if it was fate, Breda had just found the right spot on the record and allowed it to play.

Jean did his part perfectly. He looked like he was enjoying this, mouthing every word (even though he missed on the rhythm, but it was only to be expected). Roy smirked in satisfaction. He knew that if he could trust _anyone_ it would be Havoc. He watched with amusement as his soldiers' faces changed during the hideous song, at first a little shocked when he took off his uniform upper shirt while walking and some jaws dropped when he simply sank into Roy's chair, then a little scared when he put both his feet on Roy's table, clearly messing up some documents there (Riza looked like she was about to jump at save them, even thought she didn't, eventually), and then some of them broke into laugh when Jean turned back to face Ed and Maes with a smile. "_I'm just a sweet transvestite,"_ he said, moving his hand over his leg sensually before standing up again. Jean was really putting up a show; and that was even before they had any of the costumes ready and before the rest of Roy's men were ready to actually _act_ it correctly. Well, he hoped that maybe that'd get them into the right mood and let them drop all those stupid defenses! He laughed with the rest of them when Jean walked towards Ed and Maes and put his hands on their shoulders, pushing them towards Roy's desk, talking about renting a movie.

When it was time for Maes' next line, it was obvious that Jean's acting had done the trick.

"_I'm glad we caught you at home. Could we use your phone? We're both in a bit of a hurry. We'll just say where we are then go back to the car. We don't want to be of any worry."_

"_Well you got caught with a flat! Well, how 'bout that? Well, babies, don't you panic,"_ Jean gestured with his hand, then placed it on Maes' chest for a second before he practically hopping towards Roy's desk again as he said his lines. _"By the light of the night it would all seem alright. I'll get you satanic mechanic. I'm just a sweet transvestite, from transsexual __Transylvania." _He sat down on the table, once again ignoring everything that was on it, before looking straight at Ed and Maes. "_Why won't you stay for the night? Or maybe a bite. I could show you my favorite… obsession. I've been making a girl, with blond hair and tan, and she's good for relieving my… tension." _He hopped off the table again, smiling at the reaction his acting got from the other soldiers – a mixture of shock and amusement, just like what Roy himself felt. He glanced at Ed, and was happy to see that he finally got the exact expression he needed: fear and shock. This was going great. He noted to thank Jean about all of this later; he was just too good. _"I'm just a sweet transvestite,"_ he repeated the lines along with the song, finally getting the right rhythm and now confident enough to add his actual singing. It wasn't very good, but it was hilarious. A wave of laughter that even Roy wasn't immune to shook through the room when he spanked his own ass with the song, dancing along with it as he made his way towards the door of Roy's office. Suddenly, Roy noticed it was slightly opened, and he thought he noticed a shadow there; but it disappeared too fast for his mind to grasp it, and he let it go as his imagination.

"_So, come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab. I see you shiver, with antici – "_ he paused, smirking, before raising his eyebrow suggestively at Ed and Maes. "_pation. But maybe the rain isn't really to blame. So I'll remove the cause…" _he let out a low laugh that most of all reminded Roy his own chuckle when he was with a partner in bed. "_But not the symptom!"_

With that, Jean walked away from the door, smiling as everyone clapped for him. Most of them probably weren't aware of the fact that it really was supposed to be a part of the play; Frank was their master, and he just did a performance. _Whatever_, he thought as he clapped as well. That was one hell of a show.

Falman and Ross stepped forward towards Ed and Maes, and glanced at Roy for approval. He nodded, knowing what they were asking; they knew that this was the part of the play where they were supposed to take their clothes off; Jean's show put everyone in the right mood, but it probably still felt awkward to be undressing a co-worker, Roy assumed.

He barely held his laugh at Ed's apparent displeasure when Falman reached for him, taking off his red coat, and his 'thank you' was the fakest Roy have heard in a while, more resembling a swear to anything else; and his panic was genuine when Vato reached for his belt, a suffering expression on his face. The situation with Maes and Maria wasn't much different, but somehow Roy found that he couldn't really focus on anything else but Ed's clothes being peeled off. He swallowed when the belt was opened, and so was the button of his pants – but that was where his line was drawn. _For now,_ Roy reminded himself. He frowned; he shouldn't be thinking that. He shouldn't be so eager to see the body that hid under those clothes, and he definitely should stop staring at the inviting open button of those leather pants. He raised his stare with some effort to see Falman removing Ed's vest instead, and quickly followed the black tank top that he wore under it. Roy found himself staring at the well-toned torso, his eyes tracing every muscle like and every scar as he took the sight in. Warmth spread through him, and he barely heard Maes' line being said; he was way more focused on the fact that as Ed moved and his muscle lines played under his honey-coloured skin the warmth started to flow to the lower part of his stomach, alarmed at the reaction his body was having at the sight. This wasn't good. It was actually very, very bad.

He forced himself to stop gaping at Ed and go back to the scene. While he was busy staring, Schezka approached the men, holding their clothes in her arms.

"_You're very lucky to be invited to Frank's laboratory. Some people would give their right arm for the privilege!" _She said. Her line wasn't perfect, but even if Roy wanted to fix it now he simply _couldn't_. He blinked again, doing his best efforts not to let the thoughts about what exactly he wanted to do to that body that stood in front of him, half exposed and fully inviting and tempting.

"_Well, I already lost mine_," he heard Ed say, and the fact that this line was so far from the text, and so far from what they practiced before, snapped Roy back into the reality of the _now_ where Ed was his subordinate and all of this was just a play they were trying to raise so all of them could go on a vacation. _Yes, focus on the cause_, he encouraged himself.

"Cut!" he yelled, and all eyes were on him now. He forced his professional mask back on. "Ed, that was a good one. Think you'd be able to repeat that on stage, with all the people watching? I don't want to make you feel more uncomfortable than necessary…" This time, his concern had been sincere. He knew how much Ed despised the fact that he was imperfect, how self aware he was about the fact that two of his limbs were missing.

He was relieved when he saw the boy shrug. "They gonna see my arm automail either way, Mustang. No point in hiding it when you fuckin' get me undressed on the stage."

Roy found himself smiling, and he let out a short chuckle at Ed's reasoning. It made sense, after all. "You have a point. Very well then, I'll add this line. Very good job, Ed, I'm proud of you."

He watched Ed's lips twist in a smirk, and he noticed the flame burning in his eyes as he looked at him now. Did he notice the way he was staring at him, just now? Not that he really cared; it could only work in his favor of Ed thought he wanted him. The only problem was that his reaction just now proved that it was a little beyond acting. "And you thought I'd disappoint you," his words were innocent, but Roy could feel the hidden meaning behind them. Ed was hinting to something more than just the acting and the play, and Roy's body was reacting to that again. When did this happen? When did this thing turned from a joke into a real attraction? It was starting to get beyond the point where he saw Ed as a good looking little brat; he found himself noticing the fine features of his face, his short height suddenly not so much of a laughing material as it was cute in his eyes… and that body. Unwillingly, his eyes trailed down Ed's body again, sipping his jaw line, his mind racing at how nice it would be to kiss him there, then lower down on his strong neck, and his chest…

_No! Stop this!_ He inwardly yelled at himself. He forced his eyes off the boy standing in front of him, his eyes landing on the clock. He suddenly noticed it was rather late; almost eight in the evening. Definitely time to call it a day; and he definitely needed this day to be ended. He already knew his self control, that was supposed to prevent him from staring at Ed, was failing him. How long would it take before his subordinates will notice? He needed to get away from him. Now.

He decided not to refer to Ed's comment, looking at his entire crew instead. "Alright! I think that would be it for today. Good job, everybody! Especially you, Jean. I was surprised at how good you could do this part," he smiled, looking at Havoc. "We'll meet here tomorrow again, same time. Good night!"

His men thanked him, wished him good night and started leaving. Maes was pulling his shirt back on (Roy didn't even notice he didn't wear it as well – even though he was the one who wrote it in the script), waving at Roy with a smile. Roy waved at him as well, but there was something in his friends' expression that was a little off. Roy assumed it was because he forced him to get his shirt off – and that he knew that more will come off later on – and didn't think about it any farther. He walked towards Jean, remembering that he wanted to thank him for that show. Either way, talking to him might be a good distraction from Fullmetal, who was also putting his clothes back on at the side of the room.

He smiled broadly, putting a hand on Jean's shoulder in appreciation. "I knew you loved the play, lieutenant, but that was great! Far beyond what I expected."

"Well, you looked like you needed someone to spark this thing into life. I only did my job, boss. It was your idea to do this thing in first place, so most of the credit goes to you anyway," he shrugged, and tucked a cigarette between his lips. "You need to show more excitement about this, boss. They aren't going to feel it if you don't. Get them to like it, then everyone will do their job right. We can make it work. Just keep in mind that we're going to win this, and get that ambition into everyone's mind. That's all."

"Thank you, lieutenant," Roy could notice a red and gold blur passing by before disappearing behind the office door. Immediately he felt like a stone was removed from his heart. "I'll make sure they all feel it next time. We'll get that vacation for sure," he smirked, noticing that they were the last two to remain there and together with Jean started walking towards the exit. "Good night. Make sure to bring the same energy tomorrow, lieutenant. I'm trusting you."

Havoc pulled out a lighter, and lit his cigarette. "No problem, boss," he said, and walked away as well. Roy lingered, shutting the lights and locking his door.

He was exhausted. Not from the long day, but from his own thoughts. He was mad at himself for letting Ed's figure to get to him like that. It was a game, and he was supposed to be the one in control; but his body was betraying him, and now he knew it wasn't just because he needed to get out and find himself a new partner for bed.

Just a partner wouldn't do. His body wanted Ed, and he knew that after today, that would be the only thing satisfying him.

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**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Due to a lot of pressure from school and some other things in my personal life, next chapter will be up only on Friday, June 8th. Please bear with me. Soon the semester will be over and I hope I'll have more time to write and so will be able to go back to the regular updating rate of once a week. However, I also want to write it the best I can, so please bear with me!

Kisses!


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I know I know I'm a _horrible_ person! Sooooooooooooooo sorry for breaking my promise again! I have no idea what's going on with me, but during the last month every word is a whole fight! I'll do my best that it won't happen again... Not gonna push it to the last moment again, no matter how much homework I have or how many tests! I'm so so sorry dear readers... I know I keep disappointing you :(

_Hopefully_ next chapter will be on **Friday, June 21st**. It's also two days after my birthday (yay!) so I promise to do something nice for you...

Thanks everyone for keeping up with me even though I suck!

**PS** I didn't have the time to run this one through with any kind of beta, like I usually do... so let me know if you spot any mistakes so I can fix that immediately! I really hope I'm not disappointing with this one... even though this one is disappointing by definition. Never mind, gosh, I'm talking way too much this time!

Sorry! on to the chapter...

* * *

**Eighth Chapter**

.

Something had changed. It took the course of several days, but Ed could feel the shift in the atmosphere, could sense the difference in Mustang's teasing comments as days passed by and the rehearsals became more intense. Everyone started to get into their characters more, their ease addictive and hauling Ed along with it, and the entire feeling during rehearsals became more loose. During the hours they spent in Roy's office they were becoming more than comrades, or coworkers; they became a cast, a group of friends creating something together, and it affected everyone. There was barely any distance anymore; they were making jokes together and hanging out during the short breaks they sometimes had during the rehearsals. Even Mustang seemed to be less uptight, his defenses dropping as their rehearsals slowly started dragging to later hours each day, which was how Ed could notice the change. Exhausted and free, the colonel let on more than he realized, letting Ed see through his walls.

However, it worked both ways. Ed knew he was also letting on more than he meant to, especially when the read out part of the rehearsals was over and they started with the actual acting. They were all nervous at first; the first three rehearsals were awkward; but then _that_ rehearsal came by and Jean's character entered the play. Ed knew Jean was a weirdo and a pervert, but he never thought he had _that_ in him. It was shocking to see him getting so into his character, and his enthusiasm was both disturbing and contagious. Ed could remember himself gaping at the man when he was jumping around, his breathe catching in his throat when he actually started singing the lyrics – then letting the air trapped inside him out in a shocked chuckle when he realized what the lyrics were.

From that moment on, things deteriorated rapidly, ending with Ed not focused enough to even protest when the scene he was complaining about to his brother and he felt Falman's hands on his shoulder, hesitatingly taking off his coat before his hands reached towards his belt and opened it. He remembered the rush of heat in his cheeks as he realized what was happening, but he also knew he had no other choice already. He missed the point in time he could protest this; besides, in his embarrassment his stare shot right at Roy and he'd never forget what he saw there. The way Mustang was glaring at Falman's hands… it looked like he wanted to run over there and slap him away, and at the same time like he wished he'd continue and expose Ed to his prying eyes. He'd never felt so naked, not even on that one time he was just finishing his shower and didn't manage to put his clothes back on and Envy walked in. Envy didn't try to peel anything off him with his eyes – even though there were no clothes to peel then, but the point was that he didn't seem to care that Ed was naked.

Roy did.

That fact took a moment to sink in, but the determination that spread through Ed's body the instant it did was something Ed would never forget. At that second, he knew he was wrong, and all the mixed signals he was receiving during that week all made sense. Alphonse was right. Roy was forcing him to do this so he could spend time gaping at his naked body without making it look suspicious. Too bad he wasn't as good at hiding his thoughts as he thought, but now Ed knew, and he wasn't going to let it go so easily.

Until now he could try to ignore his emotions, could try and repressing them until they either disappeared or he'd be able to get the hell out of the military and Roy's command and let the time decrease the man's importance in Ed's life. But not anymore; not when he knew there was another way, he just had to find the right way.

The problem was that Ed was never the kind to thoroughly think things through and device a plan, but the kind who darted into a situation and figure out the rest on the go. That's why he was at the Headquarters so uncharacteristically early in the morning; he hoped to catch Mustang in the office before everyone else reported in.

He was disappointed, though, when the office was locked. Of course. He forgot that Mustang was even a bigger slob than Ed was, so he turned on his heels and headed back towards the dorms. He was too busy dwelling on the fact that his plan didn't work to notice the sound of steps approaching, and noticed he wasn't alone anymore only when he heard his name. Ed looked up in surprise and intended to stop walking, but was too slow and he simply bumped into a rather large man. A quick glance while he was muttering an apology and taking half a step back told Ed that he was not a regular soldier like Ed was; he was wearing a darker uniform and had no ranks on his shoulders. He was from the military investigation team. Unfortunately, Ed was already very familiar with them.

But what had he done now to deserve being questioned? He was already back from his latest mission over two weeks ago, and he already discussed what happened there with Mustang before all this play craziness started and turned Ed's life upside down.

He frowned, and the soldier took out an ID, showing that he really was a part of the military police forces. Second Lieutenant Ralph Johnson. Lower rank than Ed's but he already knew it didn't matter much when it came to the military police. "I'm glad I ran into you, Major Elric. Will you please follow me? My commander would like to have a talk with you."

"What about? I didn't even get out of the Headquarters in the last two weeks – "

"It is not my job to tell you, Major, but don't worry. You're not accused of anything. Please, follow me."

Ed narrowed his eyes at him. The rank on his ID and the polite way he was speaking told Ed that not only was he lower ranked, but he was also aware of it and forbidden from acting like most officers did and simply drag Ed along with him. If Ed was supposed to be interrogated about something he did, then it should have been someone of higher rank capturing him; and, usually, Ed ended up being dragged. This time, however, it looked more like the guy wanted to get on Ed's good side. A lost cause, but the intention itself was enough to make the elder Elric believe the words being said to him: he wasn't charged with anything.

Which meant that someone else was of blame.

Ed nodded once, and followed the fat man silently. He only agreed to come along without causing any trouble because he was curious. He was trying to think what this was all about; the police rarely bothered showing up so early in the morning, and what business did they have in this floor? This area only contained the rooms that served Roy's men –

Ed gasped. There was only one conclusion: Roy was accused of something, and now they wanted to get information out of Ed. But the young alchemist knew of nothing bad Mustang might have done. What made them think _Ed_ knew anything, out of all people? And why bother catching him before the working day started?

It had to be something big. Something really bad, otherwise they would've slept in and found him later, instead of hauling him before he managed to talk to anyone else. What the hell happened? They were all here last night; the rehearsal was dragging late, as usual, and they were all dead tired after it. There was no way something big could've happened between then and now.

He tried to pass last night's event in his head, but could find nothing out of the ordinary until he was told to stop in front of a closed office door. The cop that got Edward stood in front of the door and knocked three times, then stood and waited for an answer. It didn't take too long to come, and a deep voice ordered them in.

Johnson opened the door, and allowed Ed in first. Stepping inside, Ed realized he wasn't familiar with this one. It wasn't the regular place he'd been taking to for questioning, and he glanced around, taking in every detail. There was nothing special about the place – yet another rather empty, boring office, and yet another fat, useless officer sitting in the middle of it behind a way too tidy desk. These guys really had nothing to do that to sniff around the soldiers who were only doing their job; why were they even being paid to sit on their asses and do nothing?

Ed wasn't given enough time to ponder about that, since the rather big officer behind the table addressed him with severe face. "Are you Major Edward Elric?" he asked.

Ed frowned. If they weren't sure it was him, why did they drag him all the way down here? There was only one possible explanation that fit with everything else. There really _was_ something very serious going on if they needed to double check his identity. Something was fishy, someone had done something very, very bad… and they expected him to rat out. Well, he wasn't going to.

"Yeah," he said, his voice coming out an as a warning, all his distrust and suspiciousness clear in that single word. "What do you want? I have work to do, and I already know I didn't do anything – "

"Relax, Major. Please, have a seat. I only have a few questions to you, all I'm asking for is your cooperation. Don't worry about being late to report in; any inconvenience this meeting might hold for you will be taken care of. I just want you to be honest with me."

The blond alchemist narrowed his eyes. Something really smelled bad… "With all due respect, I have no idea who you are." It wasn't going to do him much help; there weren't many chances that the man sitting in front of him now wasn't high enough in rank to interrogate him, but he'd still like to know who he was talking to.

"Ah! Of course! Please, forgive me, Major. Brigadier General Vincent McKinley. Please, take a seat. I do hope this won't take long, but there's no reason that you won't be comfortable."

The man was smiling kindly at him, but Ed knew fake when he saw it. Ed took the necessary step towards the chair placed right in front of the desk, walking around it carefully before cautiously sitting down. "I'm listening," he said coldly, the impolite way he was talking conveying the lack of respect he felt towards the man. If it bothered him, he didn't show it.

"Good. I'm appreciating your time very much, Major Elric. I would like to ask you… about Colonel Roy Mustang."

Ed gulped. They wanted to question him about Roy… and everything looked so serious. There was only one thing that came up him mind that could induce such a reaction. Someone picked up on what was going on between him and his commander, and now they were in trouble… but could they really do anything to them, considering the fact that nothing happened? And how did they find out? Were Mustang and he really that careless? He tried not to look guilty as he decided to remain silent; he knew his rights all too well.

Brigadier General McKeenley waited for a moment, as if he was expecting Ed to say something; but he didn't show any signs of tiresome or annoyance when he spoke next. "I want to ask you… had he done anything to you? Something you weren't pleased with?"

"_What_?" Ed spat the question, too shocked to keep silent. Did they really think Roy would… do anything to him? Did they think that – Hell no! "No, he hadn't," he said, trying to be as collected as possible. He felt the blood boiling in his veins and his heart pounding with fear, but he knew bursting out would do him no good.

"There is no reason to be so scared, Major. If you have anything to tell me, I guarantee you that the information you give will remain anonymous. No one will know it came from you if you don't want them to."

Ed was very tempted to yell at him; to call him out on his bullshit, to punch his face, to do _something_, but he knew he has to stay seated and appear calm. "There's nothing to tell," he repeated, realizing a moment too late that he was losing his control; his voice was shaky, low and dangerous. This was not good…

There was a short pause, and the momentary silence lay in the room like a heavy cloud, and Ed almost stood up and left the room. This was ridiculous. Who the fuck told them that Roy was forcing himself on him? What on Earth was going on here? He knew Roy had a lot of enemies within the army, people who were looking badly on his rank and his methods, but to go that far was already a little bit too much –

"There's no need to hide, we already know about the play your commander is raising. We also know it has somewhat of disturbing nature, and all I'm trying to do is protect you – "

Oh. So _this_ was what this was all about… not that it was much better; the play was supposed to remain secret. Hughes and Fuery were in charge of making sure of it. So what?..

Ed didn't even bother to listen to the rest of the sentence. "Look, that play – we're all for it. We made a vote," he had no idea where that lie came from, "and we all decided that we're going to do this. No one is being forced into anything, not me, and not any other soldier under the colonel's command, okay? I'm fine with whatever is going on there, and what we choose to do for that stupid event is _our _business, so keep your nose out of it, alright?" He stood up, ignoring the fact that he could actually stand to court for behaving that way – not only it was military police he was talking to, it was also someone who outranked his _commander_, let alone outranked him. "There's nothing for you to investigate. We're all very capable of taking care of ourselves, so please stay the hell out of our business," and with that, he left the room, ignoring the stare the police officer was giving him. If he gets in trouble for this, then so be it.

He marched back towards the office's building, his mind racing. There were so many questions – how did they find out what they were doing? How did they reach the conclusion Roy was forcing anything on anyone of them, and especially him? They were making sure no one knew on their rehearsals, made sure not to talk about it during office hours. Did someone betray them? Betray _Roy_, Ed corrected himself in his mind. His train of thoughts shifted in direction, and he wondered, yet again, how come everything changed. Two weeks ago he'd yearn for something like this to happen. Maybe not something that'd endanger Roy's position, but something that's sabotage his plan was something Ed wished for. Now…

Now he felt differently.

While he still didn't really _like_ the idea of the play, he didn't have as much problem with it. He was actually starting to have fun with it; he still hated his character, but he couldn't help but admit that the idea was funny. Written down he could only see the disturbing parts, but they were bringing life to the words and together they were starting to create something. Ed still wasn't sure it was good enough to grant them the first place, but even he couldn't deny the good things that came from it.

Especially since this helped him realize that maybe he wasn't as hopeless as he thought he was.

He swallowed, his stride slowing. He was afraid that this encounter with the military police had something to do with how he felt about Roy, and the way he was already pretty sure Roy felt about him. If he was so scared when there wasn't really anything going on between them… what would happen if there would actually be ground to any accusation? He wasn't stupid, and as much as he hated the military rules and tended to ignore them on daily basis he knew that any kind of unprofessional relationship between a commander and his subordinate was illegal; he was also painfully aware of the fact that he was a minor. Even if something really could bloom between Roy and him, was he willing to risk everything for it? Was he willing to risk _Roy_ for that?

Until now, he didn't even think about it that way, maybe because he didn't think it was even a possibility and then he was too swooned by the play and the little game he and Roy were playing to pay any attention to anything else… but it was a serious matter, and he should give it more thought.

He barely greeted anyone when he finally reached his department, immediately settling down next to a desk and pretending to write down a report. If anyone would ask him, it was the report from nearly three weeks ago, that both he and Roy forgotten about by now. He needed time to think, he needed time to be alone.

Luckily enough, no one bothered him until the working day was over, and the Central Command was slowly emptied out. Eventually, only their department stayed there, and when there was no longer any worry that anyone could bother them, they gathered as always in Roy's office. By then, Ed managed to somewhat collect his thoughts. He reached some decisions – the first one, he was cutting off this game he was playing with Mustang. It was too dangerous for both of them, and it was stupid anyway. The second decision was that he was still going to continue to participate in the play despite it; he already started, and everyone were already counting on him. Besides, even if the hidden promise of getting Roy wasn't there anymore, there was always the part where he absolutely needed to get to Western, and Mustang wasn't going to back from his conditioning, that was sure.

So he dragged his ass to Roy's office, feeling down and annoyed but determined all the same. Of course, everyone were already there; he went back to being fashionably late after that time Roy commented on him being early, and he was reluctant at showing up at all that day. He knew he should've told Roy about the talk the military police had with him – but he simply couldn't bring himself to face him so soon, and then an hour followed another and here he was.

Everyone's stares turned towards him as he entered, but, as usually, he ignored it. He waved off Roy's comment about the delay, and the rehearsal started – the same as always.

They were forced to stop many times because of him; he wasn't focused, and he knew it. He could also notice the somewhat puzzled look on Roy's face when he didn't react to his teasing anymore, forcing himself to stay calm and think about something else – _anything_ but how hot Roy looked when he was mad, or how sexy his voice was when he was giving instructions… It was difficult, but Ed was actually very proud of his self restraint.

"Fullmetal! Are you even here? This is the fifth time we had to stop because you weren't paying attention!"

"Well, I'm sorry – " Ed started, defensive as always, but before he could say anything more the door to Roy's office opened. Everyone's eyes were immediately turned towards their intruder. Ed recognized him immediately; it was the same officer who interrogated him this morning… but he denied any accusations, so what on earth was he doing here?

A quick glance around the room told Ed that everyone else were just as confused as him, even though the puzzled stare on most faces also allowed him to know that they had no idea who the guy was, but the quicker glance he shot at Mustang told him that Roy _did_ know. Either way, once he was sure he got everyone's attention, Brigadier General McKinley took out his ID and showed it to everyone. He looked serious, and Ed felt the tension hanging heavily around the room, and the dark tentacles of knowledge were creeping into him, smothering his heart.

But that guy had no business here. As far as Ed knew, he was supposed to be their only evidence; how did they know about the rehearsal at all? Realizing there must be a traitor between them, Ed glanced again around the room, this time trying to look harder into people's expression, looking for any signs of deceit, but there was none. Before he could do anything else, the Brigadier General opened his mouth and spoke up. He wasn't using the same want-to-be trusting voice, but a more official, ordering kind of tone.

"I know what you're doing, Colonel," he said, not bothering with greeting or introducing, jumping straight to the point. "And I'm here to end this. The show is off, soldiers. The rehearsal is over, and so is your work day, unless you have guarding duty. Please, collect your things and leave. _Now_."

Ed's mouth dropped open; he knew something was bad, but he didn't imagine the police will be _cancelling the show_! He didn't think they will actually come and tell them to stop everything! This wasn't right, this wasn't –

"With all due respect, Brigadier General, on what ground are you cancelling my contribution to the annual charity event? I'm doing everything by the book, just trying to do my best to raise as much money for the event as I can. There's nothing against the rules."

"Colonel Mustang, this is not a negotiation. This thing is off. Please don't cause any troubles, Colonel." There was certain finality to his tone, and Ed watched as Roy narrowed his eyes at the man, his irises dark with hate.

"Dismissed, everyone," Ed could barely believe he was really hearing these words falling from Roy's lips. Was he really giving up? After all of this? "I will see you all in the morning. Good night."

Everyone were just as shocked as Ed, but no one said anything to counter Roy's words, simply picking their stuff and heading towards the door like a group of rebuked kids, mumbling their 'good night, sir," just before passing through the door.

Ed remained there, lingering a little bit; why wasn't anyone fighting this? Why was Roy just accepting this? Have they really worked this hard for three weeks _for nothing_? He didn't know Roy as the kind of man who gave up so easily, he knew him as the Flame Alchemist who fought for everything, who aimed to the top in order to actually get there. Was this really over?

"Good night, Fullmetal," Roy's words were a hidden order. _Leave, you have nothing to do here anymore_, he could hear the words ringing in the room even though they weren't being said. He probably waited too long; was Roy annoyed at him for that? Did Roy expect him to give up that easily? True, he didn't like any of this since the beginning; true, he also decided to give up on Roy just this morning, but this… this changed everything. He couldn't just let it be over like this. There was no fucking way he was going to give up like Roy did – and if only because he couldn't stand the fact they were accusing Roy of something so wrong, even though there was a grain of truth in that but he didn't care. Not anymore.

It's was about making a point now, more than anything else.

Annoyed and determined, Edward left the office, grabbing his red coat on his way out. This wasn't the end of this, not as long as there was anything he could do to prevent it; but he couldn't do anything at that specific moment. Any plan would have to wait for tomorrow – and he was sure he would come up with something before dawn breaks.


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N:** There! ALMOST on time! :)

I just want to say a few things before you proceed to the chapter. I received some complaints about the previous chapter (not because it sucked, these ones I'm perfectly aware of and once my japanese final is over I'll take the time to edit it) but on the presence of the police.

I know most people haven't, but I have served in the military for two years, so I'm basing the Amestris military on what I've experienced, in the aspects that don't appear in the series. We had a special military police whose job was to catch soldiers who weren't dressed properly or skipped their guarding duty, things like that, which is why I added Brigadier General McKinley. I'm not going to change that, and I don't think it doesn't make sense, because that IS the way things work. I don't mind anyone who thinks that I'm wrong - you can go ahead, it's your right... and I'm not mad or anything, I do appreciate feedback even when I'm doing something wrong (like, I know Ed's actions the previous chapter weren't making a lot of sense, but I was really hurrying it up), but I just wanted everyone to know where it came from.

That's it!

Now, this chapter is... uh, a little bit different. You'll see. The most important part - now this fanfiction is officially M rated, so if that bothers anyone, my apologies, but it'd only get worse from here;)

Also, from now on I'm going to stay on the updating rate of once every two weeks, until I say otherwise. Too many tests to study to, along with work and, like, life doesn't leave me with enough time to manage a chapter in only one week - also, they're getting longer now than they were before. Sorry about that, but if it helps, I'm constantly updating my little drabbles collection, if anyone's interested.

Last, but not least, I have now a COVER! I know it's barely visible but I'll get photoshop and try to make it bolder soon. All the credit goes to my friend, who drew this for me for my birthday despite her not being much into crossdressing and forcing men into corsets.

Next chapter will be up on **Friday, July 6th**.

That's it. Enough bullshit.

ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! XOXO

* * *

**Ninth Chapter**

.

"So, Colonel Mustang, from everything you've said so far I understand that while you realize the play you've chosen is of somewhat… disturbing, nature, you still claim that no rule had been broken?"

Roy let out a tired sigh. He'd been sitting here, in this interrogation room, for almost an hour now, and he'd been asked the same annoying, repetitive questions over and over again. He just wished they'd be done with it and let him go already; wasn't it bad enough that they cancelled his play, buried his chance of winning the promised vacation, made him look like a fool in front of all his soldiers and caused a very probable delay in his rank promotion? Did they have to keep him in this tiny, suffocating room and make him repeat everything a million times? It was way too early in the morning for this; he didn't even have his morning coffee in his office but here – and it was bitter and cold and generally disgusting.

"Yes, Brigadier General, that's my exact claim." His tone was doleful, yet respectful. Even though this man was an idiot, he still outranked him, and belonged to the one branch of the military that could do pretty much whatever it wanted. For him, as a man aiming for the top of the military and as a soldier who saw himself as a first rate soldier, he did everything he could not to be summoned by them. That didn't mean he knew them too well, having to bail Fullmetal countless of times for a foul word he said to the wrong personnel, incidents of damage to military property, being late until even they got tired of his endless delays, and, of course, talking them into letting him walk around the headquarters, and in general while on duty, in civilian clothes. He used the excuse that he's simply too small to be able to wear uniforms, and he knew that if Edward knew the reason he was being allowed to keep wearing his hideously flattering leather pants and terrible red coat, he'd probably beg him to let him wear the blue and gold outfit of the military, and then punch him in the face, if not kill him.

The thought amused him, as well as the idea of Ed begging for _anything_, and he had to catch himself at the last moment before he accidently smirked. He noticed the officer was saying something, and forced himself to listen instead.

Thankfully, he was saved from that by a knock on the door that made McKinley stop talking, and therefore saved Roy the embarrassment and dishonor of being caught not listening while his position was on the line.

"Come in," called the fat man towards the door, obviously annoyed at the disturbance. Roy turned towards the door, curious to see who his saver was. Maybe it was someone important – the Brigadier General's commander, for example – coming in to stop this waste of time. He couldn't help the surprised look on his face when he saw Jean Havoc at the door, looking presentable than ever and holding a few papers in his hand.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. Second Lieutenant Havoc, a soldier under Colonel Mustang's commanding. Sorry to interrupt. I have some evidence that would prove the colonel innocent. May I present them?"

Roy stared at his subordinate. It had been so long since Jean joined his unit, and so much time has passed since they became in good enough terms so he won't be required of all this formality – even though Roy was never the kind of commanding officer who forced everyone to treat him like he was some kind of God – that he forgot the blonde even had it in him.

He was too surprised by that to be able to wonder about this 'evidence' the lieutenant was talking about. He was quickly reminded of it by Jean's outstretched arm, a thin folder held in his hand. He watched, curious as to the content of this file contained, as McKinley gestured for Havoc to step closer and give him the folder. He took it and opened it, and Roy could see his eyes gliding over whatever was written there before he could see a vein standing out on his temple, showing his anger. Roy's curiosity considering what his subordinate brought only grew, and he was starting to struggle keeping his stoic expression on.

"What is this, colonel?" the brigadier finally looked up from the paper in his hand to stare at Roy, his fury blazing in his eyes. "What exactly do you think you're playing with, Mustang?"

Roy blinked, finally able to get over his surprise by the direct question of the officer. "I honestly have no idea, sir," he said genuinely.

Behind him, at his respectful distance regained after handing in the folder, Jean cleared his throat. "Uh, this is a petition, sir," he said, and Roy's eyes shot towards him. A petition? He hadn't heard anything of such a thing.

"That much I can see, lieutenant," the frustration and rage were audible in McKinley's voice. "Care to explain it?"

"With pleasure. This is a petition, sir, created by Major Elric who works with me under colonel Mustang's command, as a proof that we are all participating in this musical because we want to, and not because we're being forced to. The major had brought it to our knowledge that the main problem of the play was the… eh… inappropriate content and the issue of consent. You're currently holding the evidence that we are all fully aware of the play's themes and want to participate. The colonel did not force any of us to do it, and so we all feel that the accusations against the colonel are erroneous. We voted the subject before we started, and everyone were for this play. Second Lieutenant Breda had taken the time to look through the rules - except for explicit violence or other adult themes, there was nothing against such a subject. Therefore, and considering this petition that had nothing to do with colonel Mustang's orders and that is signed by every single soldier working under him, I believe there is no case against the colonel, or our musical."

Roy was impressed. He knew his men were smart, and he knew they'd do a lot for him, but while he didn't think of his men as a bunch of idiots and he knew they were smart he never expected anything quite like _this_ to happen. This well thought out plan to figure out every detail to contradict anything the police might say. He owed them, and, apparently, he owed Edward the most – which only confused him more. It was one thing having Jean supporting him on this, and Havoc was a very charismatic man so it won't surprise him if he could carry the rest of the team with him, but it was a whole different story to know that it was _Ed_ who initiated the whole thing. He knew he was against the play from the beginning, knew that if there was _anyone_ who could blame him for taking advantage of his rank that would be Fullmetal. If there was anyone who could blame him for inappropriate behavior that would be Edward, and yet, Havoc was standing there, saying that the boy was not gloating over the whole situation like he'd expect, but coming up with plans to save it.

After what happened during the last rehearsal, that knowledge didn't help to this situation. The last thing he needed to think about now was Ed and the way he discovered he felt about him.

He blinked, forcing his mind to get rid of the thoughts about the young blonde boy and focus on the matter at hand.

In front of him, he could see the Brigadier General reading through the file Jean handed him and through some papers he already had lying on his desk, looking like he was looking for some reason not to let them go. As he could see the frustration growing on the man's face, so did Roy's smugness, but he did his best not to show it other than a small smirk he couldn't help from spreading on his lips. "My men are well trained to do their job properly, Brigadier General," he said after a moment of watching the man slowly losing it. He tried to keep his amusement to himself. "You won't find any flaw there. What the lieutenant said is probably true; I had no knowledge of such a petition, and we did vote this play back in day one," that was a lie, but his subordinates seemed to stand behind it, so he figured he'd stick to it.

McKinley took his eyes off the papers after another moment of searching probably giving up. "You're dismissed, but don't think I'm not going to keep looking into it, because I will, and I will find something and bring down this thing. No matter what your subordinates say, I don't trust you, and I don't like this play. You can go ahead and enjoy your little sicknesses on your free time, but not on the military expenses. Watch your back, Mustang," he said, glaring at Roy with a determined blaze in his blue eyes.

Roy chose to ignore it, simply offering one of his smug smirks as he stood up. He suddenly noticed that Havoc wasn't in the room anymore – he was probably dismissed earlier, after his little speech and while Roy was too busy with his own thoughts. Oh well, it was probably better that way. He doubted McKinley cared about Roy's image among his soldiers, and it was better to avoid letting his men hear anyone threaten him like that. Usually, he would've replied to that, but there was too much to risk here. He was walking on too thin a line to allow himself to venture there.

He left the room, and only once he was outside the now closed door he allowed himself to somewhat drop the mask and show how relieved he was. He was genuinely concerned that this was the end of his enterprise, and the end of his aspiration to get his rank promoted within the next two years; that was, until Havoc stepped in with this genius speech of his and saved the day.

"Hey, boss, you're okay?" Jean's voice, familiarly muffled by the unlit cigarette held between his teeth, cut into his thoughts, and he looked up to see the blonde man leaning against the wall, looking at him.

He smiled tiredly at his subordinate. "Yes, Havoc. Thanks to you, and, apparently, Fullmetal?" he answered, gesturing for the man to follow him. There was no need for them to stay in this area any longer; he'd been delayed in the military police office for long enough to make the documents on his desk pile up enough to keep him here until long after the work day had ended. Since he really didn't want to spend the night at the headquarters, signing papers, and the hope that Hawkeye would be kind enough to let him do it tomorrow was too scarce, he realized that the sooner he's back in the office the better.

Jean pushed himself off the wall, matching Roy's steps. "Mostly the tiny boss, it was all his idea. He didn't say much, but he seemed to know we were in trouble, so he gathered us while you were out of the office and made sure everything is ready. Sorry it took me so long to get, but it took Breda a while to make sure he wasn't missing anything with the laws. I wonder how they got onto us anyway," Havoc mused, taking out a lighter and lightening his cigarette. Roy despised the smell, but years of working with Jean made him get used to it.

He let out a tired sigh. He knew this man, McKinley. He was a lazy ass military police officer who tended to slack even more than Roy, and was generally disliked by most of the officers of the regular military forces. However, there was one person who seemed to get along with him, another colonel who viewed Roy's constant attempt to get on the good side of the brass badly. If he somehow managed to find out what Roy's department had been doing, then that would explain why the Brigadier General was so keen on working until he found a way to screw Roy over.

He shrugged. "I've got an idea, but I'm not going to blame anyone until I have proofs. I'm off the hook for now, anyway, so we can continue until they say otherwise. But we're going to take today off; I don't think it would be a good idea to annoy the brass by doing another rehearsal on the day they almost shut us down," he smiled. "Besides, I doubt Riza would let me out of the office before finishing my work, so that'd probably mean I'll have to stay here long after all of you."

"Aye, boss," confirmed Jean. "I'll let everyone know, you do your job so you'll get home before the birds wake up again," he grinned, and saluted him the moment they reached their department hall. "Good luck," he wished him, and then went on to his work.

Roy let out a dragged sigh, knowing that the moment he enters his office he won't have a rest; but Jean had a point. It would be better if he got to work as soon as possible so maybe he won't stay in the headquarters after the night creatures will go to sleep.

As it appeared, he was right. Apologizing and professional as always, Riza let him know that even though she admits that this time it was not his fault, he still can't leave the office before all papers needed signing are signed. And so, he found himself still hovering over his desk with the pen held in his hand at five, when his men dropped by his half open door to bid their goodbye as they left. He was only barely paying attention, and so when his door was yet again opened he didn't bother looking up from his desk, barely seeing the lines anymore out of the boredom of the monotonic task. He didn't look up when he heard his name, too tired to notice who it was that was speaking, only waving a hand in the air in a farewell gesture.

He only looked up when he registered the fact that he didn't hear the sound of steps walking away, or the usual wishing for him to finish his work soon. He didn't expect to see Edward standing there, looking at him with a weird expression on his face, somewhere between curiosity and fear. That was unsettling, and he put his pen down.

"Yes, Fullmetal?"

The young alchemist looked away from him, looking for a short moment as if he was re-considering his options. Then he looked up again, determined. "I wanted to talk to you about the play," he said, and Roy wasn't sure what to make of his voice; there was too much there to allow him to settle on one thing and decided on a tone.

He raised one eyebrow in question. "What about it?" he asked, and then his mind was finally able to leaving the paperwork and returning to the actual reality. "Thank you for reminding me. I wanted to thank you for what you did, I must say, I didn't expect it from you," he added before the blonde had any chance of saying something more, like, for example, actually answering his question.

"That was messed up, and it's not even why I'm here," Ed answered, and he seemed to be at loss at Roy's expression of gratitude, moving a little bit uncomfortably in his place before stepping forward, allowing himself into the office and closing the door behind him. "I did it because this play is the only way you'd let me and Al go to the west and investigate."

Roy's eyebrow arched even farther. While he knew it wasn't a complete lie, the look on the boy's face told him that he wasn't being sincere. He had a certain gleam in his eyes, some kind of spark that awoke Roy despite the boring work he'd been doing for hours now, setting fire in his guts that slowly spread through his nerves and settled at the pit of his stomach with a clear aim. He wondered if he was right; but it didn't make sense. It wasn't like Ed to come so blatantly and render himself open and vulnerable. Roy wasn't even sure this was what he wanted yet; sure, he wanted Ed, that rehearsal when he took off his shirt had proved Roy that much; but was he willing to take the risk with him?

"Why are you here now, then?" he asked, not sure he wanted the answer. He watched as Ed approached, casually taking off his red coat and throwing it carelessly on the sofa; but nothing the teen did now was _casual_ in Roy's eyes, and he couldn't help but follow the motions, his eyes fixed on the muscles that flexed and tensed in order to create that movement. He looked up to see Ed just in front of his table, holding out a package of few pages. Roy's initial respond was to look at them with disgust; way too many documents to sign on for one day were giving him that feeling, that he just hated everything single paper sheet in the word.

However, a closer look told him this wasn't some kind of report, or anything work related, but the script that he gave Ed a couple of weeks back. Several pages were missing, and he had to read the first few lines before realized which scene it was. He gulped, and looked up at Ed, who still stood very near him, just on the other side of the table with a half a smirk daubed on his lips, matching the glint in his eyes.

"I wanted your help with a scene I was having some troubles with before we continue with the rehearsals," Ed mused. If he noticed any change in Roy, he completely ignored it. "Since this whole thing is your idea, I figured you wouldn't mind."

Roy stared, dumbfounded, at the young alchemist for a few seconds. That was the very last thing he expected. Even though lately Ed didn't put much struggle against participating in the play, and even thought Roy knew – no longer just from Alphonse, but now also from just watching the boy's reactions to him – how Ed felt about him, it still didn't prepare him to this. Not to the petition and efforts he put into getting him out of trouble, and definitely not to him waiting until the building was empty just to sneak in on Roy and practically offer to strip dance for him. When he and Jean wrote down this scene, choosing to leave it, it was out of sheer amusement; they both wanted to see him struggling with it, both wanted flaring up in rage only to be told he had no choice. At that point in time, Roy haven't even noticed how attractive the boy had become.

Now, however, things were different.

Roy almost blushed at the idea, the soft humming in his stomach growing into a loud buzz, heat gathering between his legs and making him incredibly uncomfortable. Did Ed actually understand what he was offering here? Did he understand the meaning of it?

Not that it mattered. He'd played this game already for so long, had already made too many hidden promises, and had put this play in too high place in his list of priorities.

"Of course," he said, and couldn't help but wonder what exactly Ed had in mind. Considering the theme of that scene, he wasn't just 'having troubles' with the scene, as he put it. Roy didn't miss the smirk on Ed's lips at the answer, and he watched with curiosity as Ed seemed to hesitate for a short moment, before he took a step backwards and started reciting the lines.

"_Oh, Brad! Oh, how could you!"_ Roy stared at Ed. He really was serious about it, barely bothering with the beginning of the scene before getting to where he intended. There was supposed to be a long, pained monologue before that line that Ed simply skipped. He watched him as he remained silent for a short moment before he straightened up, as if hearing a sound. He looked directly at Roy, and walked towards him. He reached out, looking a little bit hesitant but the determined sparkle still shone in his golden eyes. Roy was impressed; he was performing perfectly, barely shivering as skin touched the glove. A sudden thickness formed in his throat, making him gulp, as Ed gently pulled his glove off, looking at his now naked hand with a concerned look. "_Oh, you're hurt._" He paused, and then looked up at Roy with a frown. "_Did they do this to you?"_ he didn't bother waiting for any kind of response from Roy before taking his hand back and glancing around the room, as if thinking for a second. But somehow, Roy had a feeling he didn't need to plan his next step; he assumed Ed had it all prepared before he dared coming here to see him.

Roy audibly gasped when Ed promptly placed his hand on the silver clip that held his vest in place and undid it. He shrugged it off, and wrapped Roy's hand with it. "_I'll dress your wounds,"_ he said, keeping his stare at what he was doing and therefore probably not seeing the shocked stare on Roy's face. He was starting to think if this was a good idea; maybe it would've been better to drop the acting and find an excuse to get Edward out of there. This wasn't good; wasn't good at all, especially not since Ed's caring touch on his hand was sending sparks of pleasure down his spine. _This isn't meant to happen!_ His mind screamed at him, but it was too late to stop Ed now without admitting the way he felt without even having to word it and hurting Ed enough so he thought he'd really drop the whole thing, and possibly leave his department. The thought of such an occurrence terrified Roy to his bones, and so he kept silent and let Ed continue with whatever he was doing. "_There,"_ he said, leaving the vest only partly covering Roy's hand and therefore very unstable. His flesh hand lingered on it and Roy could feel Ed's thumb slightly still touching his skin. He looked up at Ed, and saw his lips twisting in yet another smirk.

The young alchemist looked away, his hand lingering on Roy's. He moved his thumb over his skin as he cited the lines again.

"_I was feeling done in,"_ he started, not singing, like the original would have, but adding it his own tone. He stared at Roy's eyes for a short moment and then down at the desk that lay between them, and that Roy was now very thankful it hid certain parts of his body from view. Seeing Ed like this, being touched by him – especially since he knew what was to follow – had made the light discomfort in his pants into something more demanding, and he struggled to keep himself under control. _"I couldn't win. I only ever kissed before," _Ed said that line in a way that made Roy believe him… and want to save him from it, to show him other lands, to - he forced himself to stop this train of thought there.

"_I thought there was no use getting into heavy petting, it only leads to trouble,"_ Ed's smirk broadened, gaining a somewhat devilish hue to it as he grabbed Roy's hand and pulled it towards him, almost making Roy stand up so he could reach but leaning in instead. The vest fell from his hand when the blonde brought Roy's hand almost close enough to touch his chest, before pushing him away as if electrified. Every nerve in Roy's body protested the loss of touch, but he was forced to keep silent. _"And… seat wetting,"_ he even managed to look embarrassed, a second before he pushed the documents on Roy's desk and making some empty room for himself to jump on it and sit, leaning closer to Roy. The Flame Alchemist was too focused on what the teen was doing to even care that all his files were now in a mess on the floor, the way his body moved and the lines he was saying that were setting Roy on fire even though he only voiced the words Roy himself wrote for his character.

"_Now all I want to know is how to go,"_ he leaned even closer, now almost laying on the desk and close enough for Roy to almost kiss his lips – which he was very tempted to. "_I've tasted blood, now I want more,"_ he straightened up and turned, his feet hanging from the desk on each side of Roy, and all he could do was stare at what was happening with eager, hungry eyes. He might still be able to hold himself enough not to stand up and _take_ Edward right there, but his expressions were already beyond his control, and he could see the smugness spread on Ed's face as his plan was working; or at least so he assumed.

"_I'll put up no resistance, I want to stay the distance,"_ Ed reached and grabbed Roy's hand again, now placing it on his thigh. It took all of Roy's concentration not to fight the grip that was keeping him there and venture just a little bit higher on Ed's body. "_I've got an itch to scratch, I need assistance," _the hold on his hand tightened, and Ed lifted it from his thigh (much to Roy's displeasure) in order to put it on his waist instead. _"Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty. Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me, creature of the night."_

While Ed was saying the lines, Roy's hand moved on its own – free from the restraint of Ed's grip, he couldn't but feel him up, the very suggestive, inviting lines of that song only tempting him more. He started to get on his feet, no longer able to keep the distance away from the boy in front of him, but Ed pushed him back. The chair rolled a few inches back from the momentum, and the only thing that kept Roy from standing up again was the fact that Ed slid off the desk, making some more documents and some pens and other office supplies drop to the floor. They both ignored it.

"_Then if anything grows,"_ Ed's stare was now directed at Roy's crotch pointedly, _"while you pose,"_ he walked towards him, and sat on his lap. Roy knew that even if that look was accidental and somehow Ed didn't notice the bulge in his pants, now he could definitely _feel_ it. He was only comforted by the knowledge that Ed was equally aroused; those leather pants weren't hiding a thing. He moved his flesh hand up and down Roy's chest, almost reaching the unclothed area of his neck but retreating just before he touched there. _"I'll oil you up and rub you down,"_ Roy gasped when Ed's hand accidently – or not? – brushed against his pants, and he felt it very well on his erection despite the layers of fabric on it. However, the touch didn't last long enough for anything, as Ed immediately pulled away, now both his hands holding on Roy's shoulders.

"_And that's just one small fraction of the main attraction," _ he cited, and then Roy felt the younger alchemist's weight on his shoulders as he lifted himself… just so he could turn to face Roy, his legs now resting on either side of him as he practically sat on his lap. _"You need a friendly hand,"_ his flesh hand slid down Roy's body, slowing and stopping only when he reached the line of his pants, almost touching the button that kept it closed. Roy wanted to growl in frustration, and he leaned forward, no longer resisting the urge to kiss him – but Ed's automail hand stopped him. _"And I need action…"_ he brushed his hand over the button, almost playing with it before grabbing Roy's hands and placing them on his chest.

"_Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty. Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me, creature of the night," _the lines said, and Roy was only happy to oblige, moving his hands over Ed's body. Any doubts that lingered in his mind about this thing he discovered disappeared, fading into the pure lust he was feeling now. He arched up as Ed was citing the lines, his voice now low and growly and sexy and he didn't care about the scene anymore, only about those fleshy lips just a few inched over him and he reached up with one of his hands to hold the back of Ed's head so he could pull him close enough to kiss him.

Ed didn't fight against it, the words dying on his lips as he also leaned closer. Roy could already smell him, the delicious smell of summer and oil for his automail, and he longed to taste him. Their lips barely brushed against each other when a horrible, high-pitched noise of a ringing phone filled the now rather quiet office, snapping them both out of the moment.

They both panted, Ed now lowering his gaze and allowing his hair to drop on his face as he swore in frustration, and Roy could relate to him. He was very tempted to just let the phone ring and kiss his subordinate anyway, but he knew that he couldn't do that without whoever was on the other side of the line to become suspicious of why he wasn't picking up.

"Fuck," he muttered, his hand lingering on Ed's nape, lightly playing with the hairs there. "I have to answer that," the words came out of him mouth in a grim tone, like it was the last thing he wanted to say – and it really was. Ed nodded once, and slid off him.

"It's okay, think I got the scene right now," he said, his voice still husky and he still panted lightly. He glanced around, finding his vest and picking it up while Roy stared at him. "See you tomorrow, Mustang," he said, and Roy wanted to forget about the goddamned phone and grab the blonde and bring him back, but it was impossible. Besides, the moment was over. Despite the throbbing hardness in his pants, bringing Ed back now wouldn't be the same. He forced himself to look away as Ed walked towards the sofa to grab his coat and leave the room.

"Tomorrow, Fullmetal," he said, a heavy feeling of loss weighing on his chest as he pushed himself back towards the table and picked up the phone.

"Sir! What took you so long to pick up?" it was Riza's voice, concerned and scolding. Roy felt the tightness in his pants being reduced to practically nothing, and he glanced at the door just in time to see the last wave of red disappearing before the door was shut close. He let out a sigh and cleared his throat. The last thing he wanted was Hawkeye to suspect that anything happened.

"I was reading one of those documents you gave me, I just wanted to finish the paragraph," he lied.

"Do you have many left? I called to make sure you're doing your work. I don't want you to show up in the office tomorrow with left over work from today, as I assume there will be more of it tomorrow, sir," she sounded frustrated, but not suspecting.

"No, lieutenant, not too much. I believe I can wrap this up in no time," he said, glancing at the mess on his desk and on the floor, the only thing remaining from Ed's presence there moments earlier besides the warmth in Roy's body. He really didn't feel like going back to his paperwork right now, wanting to take a cold shower more than anything.

"Very good, sir. Please d finish fast and go to your home, we're going to continue with the rehearsals tomorrow, right?"

"What?" Roy snapped, the only thing the world 'rehearsal' bringing to his head was the image of Ed, so close and willing and almost his. It took him a second to get a grip. "Oh, yes, lieutenant, if everything goes well, tomorrow we'll continue. I'll finish fast here and head straight home. Thank you for your concern," he said, and then they both bid their goodbyes.

He stared at the desk for another moment before he gathered enough strength to get up and pick the things Ed dropped to the floor and rearrange his desk. He appreciated his personal assistant very much, but right now he felt like he could burn her to crisp for ruining the moment he had with Edward. He picked his glove from the floor, staring at it for a moment before placing it on the side of the table. He took a deep breath, and made up his mind. He'll finish his paperwork and then head home for a nice, long, cold shower, and then go to sleep and try to figure out what he was going to do with what almost happened between himself and Fullmetal.

Somehow, he had the feeling that he won't be able to sleep too well tonight.


	12. Chapter 10

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: ****To all my readers who're expecting an update tomorrow, I am very sorry to announce that there won't be one. I'm going to have to take an extra week before the next update, thus pushing the next update to SAT, 17.8.**

**I can't find words to express how sorry I am, but as much as I love writing I didn't expect school to take so much time even now. The main issue is that I want this chapter to be as close to perfect as possible, which means I can't write it half-ass and publish like I was forced to do with the last few. The good thing is tomorrow I need to hand in the last paper for this semester, and on Thursday I have my last exam, so I'm going to have time to write it for sure. After that I'm going to be free so there will be no more delays in publishing dates, so please just bear with me this one more week before everything falls back into place.**

**I promise to compensate for this horrible period of no updates and no new fanfiction with a deluge of new works throughout the end of October and September, I have like a huge list of ideas that came up during this time and I simply couldn't write, so there IS something to look forward to :)**

**Thanks everyone and once again, I'm so so so so so sorry!**

_**A/N:** Okay so I KNOW I'm saying this every week, but I'm really sorry I'm late again. Right now it's like the busiest I've ever been in my life and I can't control anything anymore. I awfully hate to disappoint you every time, my dear readers, but real life keeps getting in the way with all the exams and papers and work and UGH there's just too much._

_So I'm really sorry. This chapter isn't as good as I wanted it to be, and I know it, and I know each and every one of you deserves better than this, but I felt so bad that I wasn't posting anything and I promised that it'll be posted last week and I just hate doing that. I also knew I won't have time to fix it and write it correctly anytime soon, so I decided to just put it here, and maybe edit it later, like I should do with the 8th chapter._

_Again, I'm so sorry._

_Due to all that, I'm going to present you with yet another disappointment: there's absolutely no chance I'll be able to get the next chapter up before **August** **11th**, so this is when I'm going to post it. But don't worry! I promise that next chapter's gonna get interesting :P also, since it's such a far date, I'm not going to be pushed with the time and it's after all the pressure from school so I'll do my best. Please bear with me!_

* * *

**Tenth Chapter**

.

An explosion of white bliss washed his body, and Ed couldn't hold back a moan as he came. His hand resting on the wall was the only thing that held him up as his body trembled with the after effects of his orgasm, and he opened his eyes, unable not to look at the mess he'd made. Most of it was already washed by the stream of hot water from above him, but when his hand left his softening cock he could still see some of the white liquid tainting his palm and private part.

Panting, he stared with disgust as the last remains of his semen were washed, diluted by the water and hiding the evidence if what he'd just done; however, the shame remained.

He let out a sigh, moving his fingers to make sure there was nothing left on them before reaching for the soap. He hated himself for being here now, for finishing off alone what he was meant to finish with Roy.

He should have stayed. He knew that. The damned phone call wasn't planned, but he could have waited until Roy was done talking on the phone and then at least discuss what happened. He wasn't sure of it at first, and he still had his doubts about the rightness of his reading of the situation - after all, Roy was a player. He might have been just faking everything, but the way he reacted to Ed's obvious advances proved him otherwise. The way Roy looked at him, the way he could barely control himself... that was real. Against all odds, his commanding officer wanted Ed just like he wanted him, and he had the chance to make something happen, and then he blew it. Just because he was a goddamned coward.

Ed poured the soap on his flesh hand, and started washing his body. He couldn't tell if he'd ever get a golden chance like that one again or if Roy might realize what almost happened and regret it. He didn't know if he'd just missed the only chance he'd ever have to kiss those lips, to feel those hands running over his body and feel Roy's body underneath all these ridiculous layers of the military uniform…

Ed groaned in annoyance and forced these thoughts out of his mind. The last thing he wanted right now was to start lusting after Roy again now. He was spent, and he already stayed in this shower really too long and it wasn't even a private shower, unfortunately, his rank wouldn't allow a room for himself and Alphonse that wasn't a part of a communal dorm. Thankfully barely anyone bothered staying at the dorms as most soldiers actually had a home, and even when they did, the chances there would be anyone around at such a time was scarce; even so, he didn't want to push his luck.

Shaking his head, Ed forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand – getting himself clean and getting out of there. Once he was focused, he managed to be done with his shower in no time. He still wasn't completely calm though when he got turned the water off and wrapped a towel around his hips. He felt bad for what he'd done, and for running away, and for throwing himself at Roy's feet like this . He felt like burying himself in the ground but knew that was impossible. He had too many things to do, and despite everything that was happening, he couldn't let himself forget the original reason he agreed to go through with this stupid play.

Groaning in annoyance, he glanced at the mirror, frowning at his own reflection before he decided he should stop wasting his time like this – he had too much to do, and Alphonse might start to worry about him if he won't come back soon. He clapped his hands and attached them to his hair; the transmutation of changing a state of matter was a rather easy one, and he didn't even have to think about it as he performed it, drying his hair completely before turning away from the mirror and walking towards the exit.

He opened the door, with his clothes hang on his arm – there was no way he was getting back into his leather pants and going through the whole process of getting dressed just to go through the short distance until he reached his room. Besides, since he already took a shower, he didn't feel like wearing the same underwear he wore all day.

He barely noticed walking the short distance to the room he shared with Alphonse, barely bothered to pay attention as he opened the door and dropped his dirty clothes on the floor.

He was only torn from his gloomy thoughts when he heard a sigh, and then the sound of metal against metal. "Really, brother, are you ever going to stop doing that?" was the greeting he received by Alphonse, and he watched the giant suit of metal bent down and grabbed the pile of fabric Ed just thrown.

Ed let out an annoyed huff. "Why? I'll just do laundry later, no point in doing the same job twice." He walked towards his closet, picking a pair of new underpants before he took off the towel that covered his privates, letting that one fall to the floor as well and he got dressed.

"Because, brother, you can't just throw your stuff around the room. I'm not your maid, and we can't live in a mess." Ed let out another annoyed sound and was just about to turn to look at Al and tell him that it's not his fault that clothes on the floor ticks him and so he shouldn't blame Ed for it because he wasn't the one who asked him to pick up everything he throws on the floor, but Alphonse was faster than him and asked something completely else, that threw Ed off balance in a heartbeat. "Where have you been until now, anyway? It's super late and I _know_ there was no rehearsal. I was worried."

"None of your business," he spat, not really meaning to be snarky but his already foul mood, combined with the sudden reminder of what happened only half an hour ago. He regretted being so stingy at his own brother, but was too annoyed, frustrated and proud to apologize. He walked towards his bed, sitting on it and covering himself with the blanket. He reached towards his nightstand and grabbed the clamp of papers that rested there and looked through.

"Did it have anything to do with Roy?" Alphonse's question came out of nowhere, slicing through Ed's already close to non-existing concentration and making him gulp in surprise.

He looked up from the pages to glare at his younger brother, trying to ignore the fact that his face were probably red; he could feel the rush of blood in his cheeks, but he wanted to believe that if he won't admit that it's there maybe Alphonse won't notice either. "No," he said sharply. He couldn't just go and tell him about what he did; it was embarrassing enough that Ed knew, and even worse that Roy did – he certainly didn't need to add Al to the list. "Why would you say something like that?"

"You don't have to get all defensive. It's not like we haven't talked about this play being your chance to get on Roy's better side… and, uh, I've seen the way he looks at you. Did anything happen with the colonel?"

"_No_! I was just – around –no fucking need to push it! I need to study my lines, so stop bothering me, okay?" Ed knew he lost, but there was nothing he could do about it now; it was one thing to know that his brother somehow managed to find out about the way he felt about his boss; it was another thing to discuss said boss possible intentions towards him; at least that he could still manage. But it was a whole different thing to tell his little brother that he threw himself at him and that the only reason Ed was still a virgin was that one, stupid phone call that ruined it all. He buried his gaze back in the papers, not reading a word but furiously pretending he did.

"Okay, brother, if you say so," Alphonse said, but his voice was slightly choked with held back laughter that only made Ed angrier. He somehow though managed not to say another word, re-reading the same line over and over again because the lines simply didn't register in his mind. Soon, though, he gave up. He closed the pile of papers angrily, and placed it back on his nightstand before leaning back on his mattress and turning to lie on his side, facing away from Al.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," he said in a final tone, pulling the blanket all the way to his chin and decisively closing his eyes. He wasn't really tired, not even close – but he didn't want to watch Alphonse giggling and coming up with different speculations to his mood; and if there was anything he was good at –that was sleeping. He was sure that if he waited long enough, he'd fall asleep eventually.

* * *

Ed had never been so wrong. When the following morning arrived, he found himself extremely sleep deprived after a nightmarishly long night of tossing and turning, falling asleep only to wake up minutes later. He couldn't stop replaying what happened with Roy; analyzing his every move, every twist of a muscle, in a desperate attempt not to hate himself and feel like he begged Roy to fuck him. He was failing miserably.

He considered, on several occasions during the night, giving up and being company for his ever sleepless brother – but he was still mad at him for bringing up Roy and whatever happened or didn't happen between them, and the last thing he needed was Alphonse prying and using his tired state to get answers for questions Ed didn't want to answer.

And so he blessed the Gods he didn't believe in when his alarm clock finally went off, finally allowing him to be free of the boredom of laying half awake in bed, doing nothing but torturing himself with his thoughts. Al greeted him with a still a little amused good morning, which only drove Ed's foul mood into a darker state. His lack of sleep and overall upset state made him even crankier than usual, and he gave his brother the dirtiest look he'd ever managed.

"Shut up," he found himself saying, and he was beyond caring that he was just being mean to his brother, who was basically only looking after him and only wanted to make sure things were working out for him. He knew all that, deep in a forgotten corner of his mind; but he just couldn't reach that part and be civil at his brother. He got dressed, lazily shrugging his jacket on while Alphonse was watching him. He tried not to look at him, not to let him any hints as to what was bothering him, and he tried to get out of the room as quickly as possible. He barely said goodbye when he walked through the wooden door.

It was only when he was out in the main corridor when he realized that hurrying out would bring him faster to what he dreaded most: another meeting with Roy, after what happened last night. He had no idea what to expect. Not knowing whether it'll be an embarrassed glance he'll meet or a mocking stare, a smile or stern talk about how last night was a huge mistake and neither of them should ever mention it again killed him, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to face whatever reaction he'll get for showing up in front of Roy again. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

He let out an annoyed sound and started walking towards the office. It wasn't like he had any choice – the army wasn't really a flexible, understanding system. Any kind of not showing up without a good excuse would only lead him into another unwanted He could call in sick, but that would be too obvious. He wasn't running away; Edward Elric never runs away – he had one slip, but what else could he have done? After a whole night of thinking and rethinking everything, he realized that he really had no chance of getting out of it better than how he did. Standing there until Roy finished his phone call, waiting for him to pay attention to him – that would have only been more awkward, and needy. As if he wasn't needy enough when he sat in his lap, begging him – under the play lines' cover – to feel him up.

Ed shook his head, angrily kicking at a stray pebble. Where the hell that stupid idea came from? And how on Earth did that idea manage to nest long enough in his mind for him to form a course of action, and actually act on it and wait for Roy to be alone to execute the last, crucial part of it? The whole thing was stupid. Roy was stupid.

He barely noticed when he reached the last corridor leading to the department, and was almost surprised to find himself facing the closed door of Mustang's room. He stopped, glaring at it with tight lips as he tried not to think about what happened behind that door only hours ago. His fists clenched on their own, and he thought he might rethink the whole being sick thing; but he couldn't do that. Even if he wanted to, some people already saw him and they'll know the truth, and that wouldn't help him keeping out of being punished; so he took a deep breath and raised his fist to knock on the door when a voice behind him stopped him.

"Good morning Fullmetal! Colonel Mustang is not here yet, so no point wasting your time trying to get in."

Ed turned to look at Riza, sitting just behind him at her desk. He didn't notice her being there, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved at what she was saying – and also a little bit disappointed. So facing his commanding officer would have to wait for a little while longer. He frowned, and glanced at the clock, his expression almost immediately changing into shock. "Oh," he said, trying to register the fact that he was half an hour early for work. He never reported early; hell, it was a miracle if he bothered showing up on time. No wonder that lazy bastard wasn't there yet.

But Ed still didn't decide if it was a good thing or not.

"Yeah, uh, still too early. Guess you're right. Thanks, Hawkeye," he said, and for a moment just stood there, wondering what he should do now; on his way here he focused only on getting here and having enough courage to greet Roy, but now he was spared that and he had to think about something else.

Then he realized that was his golden chance. He didn't have to face Roy just yet. He could report in to Hawkeye and lurk in the library – he still had things to do, despite the whole situation with the Event they were supposed to plan and everything that happened with Roy. He still had his top mission of getting Al's body back to normal, and even if he manages to go to Western and investigate, that still didn't guarantee he'd actually find the guy he heard about, and even if he did – it didn't mean he'll actually be of any use. But what was he going to tell Riza?

He looked at her, seeing her little smile as she was working on some papers. He tried to think of an excuse, and suddenly recalled that three weeks ago he came back from an assignment, and with the whole situation both he and Mustang forgot about the report he still didn't bother writing. That gave him the perfect escape route.

"No point in me just standing here and waiting then, right?" he said, trying to keep an amused hue to his tone. When the blond looked up from her desk he offered her a grin. "So can you tell Mustang that I'm here, and that I'm using my time productively, unlike him, and writing my reports so he'd get off my back? I'm gonna be at the library, just so no one causes me any trouble. I'm counting on you."

The lieutenant smiled at him, then nodded once professionally. "Yes sir. I'll let him know."

"Awesome," Ed muttered. "See you later then," and with that he rushed out of the building, hoping that Roy won't choose this day to be early too. Fortunately, the man was really just too lazy to do anything of the sort, and Ed managed to reach the library safely enough. He wasn't sure he'll actually manage to get anything done – his mind was still tired, and he doubted even coffee could fix that, but he still made himself a cup when he entered the library building and walked to his favorite seat – somewhere at the back of the room, where the least people would disturb him while he worked. He placed his coffee there, thankful that this library was meant for busy military people who needed the bitter drink injected to their veins and therefore any kind of enforcement not to bring in drinks or food simply didn't work.

He then walked towards the shelves he knew so well, picking up books that might be useful before he settled at his desk and started writing his report on one of the papers that always lay on the library desks for notes. When he was done with that, knowing that the report wasn't very good but he didn't care, he placed it on the far corner of the desk where it won't disturb him and moved on to the books.

He moved book after book, scanning the words and sipping coffee alternately, but they were painfully useless. Having spent enough hours to pile up to probably weeks of time he and Al spent in libraries reading books, he knew before he started he probably won't find anything worthy, but it was still disappointing. The only reason he kept reading was because he needed a valid excuse not to show up at the office, and even that bastard of a colonel won't argue with him if he knew he was at the library, working. However, that didn't mean he was bored out of his head, and after a few hours of reading and drinking enough coffee to wake up an entire squad he knew this wasn't working. The words blurred in front of his eyes, and any additional sip of the latest cup of the bitter liquid almost made him sick, but he kept going, blinking several times just to get one line correctly. He couldn't give up now, and he was pretty sure he was getting somewhere – but that might just as well have been his tired mind playing tricks at him.

Eventually, he couldn't control this anymore, and the world went black, and his body claimed by force its much needed rest.


	13. Chapter 11

**_A/N: _**_Okay so I know it's still a little late, but I honestly tried. I want, once again, to apologize for the long time it took me to post this - but really, the last 6 weeks had been crazy. Too many tests. I honestly felt like I could die at some point from lack of sleep^^"_

_At least I learned a lesson at actually studying throughout the school year._

_Anyway now all of that is gone, and except for work I'm now free, so hopefully there will be no more delays with the chapters :)_

_Next chapter will be up by Sunday, August 25th, and hopefully from there on I'm back on the once-a-week schedule._

_I hope you will enjoy this one; it ended up being different than I originally planned, but I hope it came out satisfying anyway._

_Enjoy your reading! ^-^_

_*I'd like to thank my friend Darya for the beta_

* * *

**Eleventh Chapter**

**.**

_Where would he be? _Roy was unable to stop thinking as time passed by and Edward didn't show up. Hawkeye told him that in fact he was here earlier in the morning reporting in and claimed he's going to the library to write a report. It took him a second to figure out what report she was talking about. Roy forgot all about that report through all the rehearsals haze, the incident with the military police and his recent discoveries about the true nature of his feelings towards Fullmetal.

The part about sitting in the library made sense – the Elric brothers practically lived there – but since when did he bother to actually spend time writing reports? It was strange, especially since lunch time was drawing near and there was no trace of Ed, so Roy started to ask around, but no one have seen him so much as leaving the place, which was suspicious. Even when he seemed to have decided to move in with books, he still emerged from his one-sided marriage in favor of food, so it was strange that even after most soldiers finished eating still no one had seen so much as a glimpse of him. The only explanation Roy could think about was that the boy was hiding. It made sense, but also made him realize how close he was last night to losing his principles and moral. No matter how mature he was sometimes or how gorgeous he looked, he was a child, and even if he throws himself at his feet, Roy must not give in. Laws aside (and having a relationship with Edward was illegal because of more than one reason), it simply wasn't right. He couldn't be sure that even if he insists on it, the boy would know what he was doing.

Roy let out a sigh and looked up, surprised to see that he reached the library building. He wasn't even aware he was walking in this direction, too busy with his thoughts and speculations, but there was a reason he came here. He was a commanding officer and one of his subordinates had failed to show up. Even if he reported in while his assistance was present it didn't mean he could disappear for the rest of the day. As Fullmetal's commander, it was his job to make sure that he was alright and that he was actually doing his job – which most likely he wasn't.

He pushed the heavy wooden doors and walked into the building. He greeted the librarian, and ventured inside. He assumed it won't be too difficult spotting the young alchemist – he was too boisterous and loud for Roy to believe he'd actually keep himself quiet in a library, especially if his brother kept him company. He'll just have to follow the noise. The problem was that the place was actually quiet – apart from a few whispering voices, there was no sound. Frowning, Roy realized he'll actually have to search.

"May I help you, Colonel?"

The soft, friendly voice of the librarian made Roy stop just as he was about to start his search after the elder Elric. He turned to look at her, beaming a smile. "I'm just here looking for one of my subordinates," he answered. "He's supposed to be here. Actually, perhaps you've seen him. Blond, tiny, probably wearing hideous red coat – "

"Oh, you mean Edward Elric? He's here, somewhere. Went in this morning and didn't leave. He's very diligent, spends here hours." Roy's frown deepened at that. Diligent? Ed? That was probably the last word he'd use to describe him – but then again, he was at the library now. If there was anything that mattered to the boy, it was his mission to get his brother's body back from the Gate. He shouldn't be surprised that people who don't constantly work with him on duty related matters see him as a good worker; especially since ninety percent of the times he's here he carries a signed paper from Roy so he could have access to whatever books he wanted.

"He's probably at his usual table, just around the corner there," she continued with a smile, pointing at a certain direction. Roy smiled as well and thanked her, heading towards where she pointed at.

He expected to see the blond head right away, standing out in the sea of brown and black, and was surprised when he didn't. He kept walking, searching around until he finally noticed a glimpse of yellow behind one of the farthest shelves. With a victorious grin he walked towards it until the full image was finally revealed. It was, indeed, Ed: deep in sleep, his arms crossed over an open book and his head resting on top of the red fabric that always covered them. Roy couldn't help but smile at the sight; he looked so innocent when he was asleep. Still fierce, but lacking the eternal rebellious spark that always gleamed in his eyes. With his golden hair, illuminated by the orange light of the library and his peaceful expression, he looked like an angel, youthful and perfect.

Too youthful for Roy to think about him as anything other than a child without feeling like a pervert.

He shook his head, erasing any kind of affectionate expression from his face before he placed one hand on his sleeping subordinate. He was there purely because on duty wasn't the time to take an afternoon nap, and as a commanding officer it was his job to make sure his men weren't slacking. He almost smiled at the irony of the thought, but forced himself to wear his professional mask again. "Fullmetal, get up," he said, making sure not to let his voice slip into an unprofessional tone. No matter what happened between them last night, it must not change the way he treats him as his subordinate and make him softer. On the contrary – if anything, he should bold the lines and raise the wall between them again before it'd be too late, if it wasn't too late already.

Under his hand, the slumber coated body stirred, and a soft, sleepy moan escaped the slightly parted lips. Of course that Ed won't be an easy person to wake. That would be just too convenient. He shook him, meaningfully but not too strongly, and ordered him to wake up again. This time, the boy practically jumped in his seat, amber eyes flashing open.

"Wha – " he started, his voice still hoarse from sleep in a way that made Roy really want to push the thoughts about him still being a kid aside. However, it seemed that the way his voice came out bothered Ed, because he stopped and cleared his throat, finally looking up. Roy watched how his expression changed from calm and sleepy to guilty, annoyed and embarrassed, with a very adorable pink hue that adorned his cheeks. He straightened in his seat before talking again. "Fuck."

"That's not a way to greet your commanding officer, Fullmetal," Roy said, making sure to keep the amusement out of his voice and sound as authoritative as possible. Edward obviously didn't expect to see him, and his reaction was just so cute and made Roy want to wrap his hands around him and –

_No. Stop this right there. _Roy thought to himself, forcing himself to stop that very inappropriate train of thought. _You made a decision this morning. You might be a pervert, but you're not a pedophile._

"Shitty commanding officers can only get shitty greetings."

Roy decided to ignore it this time, forcing himself not to take the bait; it wasn't that he really minded Ed talking like that about him – after all, they've been working together for the last four years, he was used to the boy's foul language and lack of respect. But if until now it was only amusing and Roy could allow himself the luxury of teasing him to watch him struggle with answers, now it was dangerous. The air between them had changed, no longer a twisted kind of mutual respect but something else, far more dangerous. He had to put the famous ice wall of commander-subordinate relationship between them even though he never believed in it.

"Second Lieutenant Hawkeye told me you came here to work. You didn't look too working just now," he said eventually.

"I Only closed my eyes for five minutes, give me a break."

Roy had the retort ready on his tongue, knowing for a fact that it wasn't just 'five minutes' as the boy put it because he'd been staring at him for more than that. It wouldn't be a smart idea to say anything, both because he didn't feel like continuing this argument – Ed had a talent at stretching those forever – but mostly because that would mean he'd have to admit that he'd been looking at Ed. After last night admitting such a thing wasn't a smart idea, especially not since he decided to put an end to the little game he was playing with the younger alchemist.

"Break's over. Did you actually do the report you said you would?"

Roy watched as Ed frowned, as if he was trying to figure out what he was talking about; a second later he looked up at him. "No, I was reading. A little bit more important than a report you completely forgot about during the last two weeks."

"That doesn't change the fact that I need it. On my desk by five, Fullmetal, and don't be late, we have a rehearsal right after. Good luck," with that, Roy turned on his heels and walked away.

The look on Edward's face just before Roy left stayed with him even as he walked through the huge library doors. He could see that the boy wanted to say something, that he didn't think the conversation would end so quickly. He could also see the conflict in his eyes, like there was something he wanted to say but wasn't sure he should, with his lips lightly parted.

Roy was almost sure he knew what it was his subordinate wanted to say. It was more or less written all over his face, question marks and uncertainty regarding what they almost shared the night before. He wanted to ignore it, to treat last night as a slip up, but he knew that wasn't a possibility and that he'd have to have a talk to Edward about it. It wasn't going to be pleasant; it wasn't exactly a light, next-to-a-cup-of-coffee kind of conversation, and Ed wasn't exactly an easy person to talk to; but he'll have the time to do so. He was counting on later today, when Ed will (hopefully) show up in his office with the report. After all, a library, no matter if it was crowded or not, wasn't the right place for such a talk. Especially since it was his male subordinate, and not just some girl he picked up somewhere.

It just gave him a little more time to plan this talk. It wouldn't be a smart idea to just rush into it – not with someone like Ed, whose young looks only deceived. He knew how to manipulate and knew how to get what he wanted – he was as good at this almost as much as Roy was. He'll make him forget that he really was only sixteen, his subordinate for God knows how long, and untouchable, no matter how much they both wanted it. He'd probably end up making Roy admitting things he didn't want to, likebeing attracted to him rather than insisting it was just a lapse. Worse; he might end up making him promise to give it a chance.

Roy walked back to the main building where his office was, empty and waiting for him. He'd been out for too long now and Hawkeye would probably shoot him in the leg for slacking at work. He realized that since the moment he walked through the library to see Edward's sleeping figure, all he'd been thinking about was him. He never thought he'd be this weak. He never thought someone could lower his defenses like this and make him doubt his own ability at making decisions. Definitely not someone as young as him. He thought he was past that age, when there was only passion and no logic.

No, he'll have to come with a plan of what to say and how to avoid whatever tricks Ed might play at him.

* * *

He wasn't wrong about Riza being mad at him for disappearing. Apparently, it didn't matter to her that he was just making sure that Ed was doing his work, she still glared at him and threatened to shoot him if he didn't finish his paperwork on time. He assured her that he will, and so he spent what was left of his working day reading and signing different documents. He was surprised when his door was slammed open, and a storm of black and red blond darted in. He probably shouldn't be surprised of it by now, but he wasn't expecting him so soon. It couldn't be past four, which meant his deadline wasstill an hour.

He hadn't come up with the right way to talk to him about last night, but he assumed he'll just have to deal with it. He wanted to say something when the teen approached his desk, opened his mouth when Ed placed a piece of paper on top of the documents he was currently reading, but the teen spoke first.

"There, bastard, your stupid report," he said, and before Roy could say anything he turned and left.

Roy still sat at his desk an hour later, trying to figure out what that was all about. He expected Ed to be awkward, not his usual, rude self. Back at the library he talked like himself, but his body language told Roy that this talk was a necessity. However, when he entered his office and left, there was none of that. Just his usual self, before anything happened.

It was unnerving and confusing, but when the clock hit five and the office hours were done, he forced his mind off it. Maybe the boy reached the same conclusion after their encounter. It almost made sense – after all, Roy was cold to him again. He was making sure not to encourage anything other than a professional relationship, and maybe it was working and Ed took the hint. Roy decided that, at least for now, he'll assume that was exactly what happened, and got up from his desk. Luckily, and despite how distracted he was, he managed to finish all his paper work – but maybe that was because he wasn't really reading any of the papers, just scribbling his signature on the designated line. He walked towards the door, the pack of signed documents held in his hand and ready to be transferred to Riza, who'd give it to his superior, or, if a certain document needed to go to another address – he could trust her to do that as well.

It took another half an hour or so after he handed in his paperwork and sent Riza to do the rest before his men started flowing into his office in a slow but sure pace. He eased into a conversation with Maes about nothing in particular – mostly just the newest pictures of Elicia; at a park or with a new toy in the house. As much as he was annoyed at his friend's eagerness to show these pictures all the time and brag about his 'little angel' to anything that had legs and stood in place for longer than ten seconds, he loved that about him. It made him happy, knowing what the man had to deal with every day and he was just glad there was something good going on in his life, helping him move on each day. Sometimes, Roy was actually jealous of him.

When the hands of the clock showed six, all his 'actors' were already gathered in the office, and Roy glanced around, offering one of his confident smiles. "As you all know," he started, getting their attention. It was time for a pep talk; they all looked tired and a little doubtful, even though he knew they'll never doubt him or his cause. However, it was only understandable that they'll be a little gloomy after the latest events. "We've had a little issue, but now it's been solved. However, due to that, rehearsal today's going to be a little bit longer – we lost a whole day and now is the time to make up for it. We aren't doing this just for fun, we have a cause. I declared back in day one that we're going to win this competition, and we will – we'll just have to push a little harder because we're behind the schedule. So are you ready?" It was a rhetorical question, and he continued before anyone had the chance to say anything. "Let's start from the last scene we stopped. Hawkeye, that's the scene where you appear for the first time. You, Fullmetal, Havoc, Hughes, Falman, Ross and Schezka - I need all of you at the front. The rest are going to be in the background. Please start at Frank's speech."

He knew that going straight to business was the best strategy – the best way to get everyone in the mood for work, including himself. He had to concentrate on something other than Ed standing there in front of him, had to find a way to distract himself from the strange feeling the room held since the moment he stepped in. They didn't really have time for that; the date of the show was drawing near, and they had to be prepared – and he had made a decision, and there was a good reason for that decision. He really started to doubt his sanity when he realized how much he was thinking about this, and forced himself to stop and focus on the scene.

As usual, Jean was executing his role perfectly: his energy always swooned everyone along, helping everyone be in character. Even Roy almost gasped in awe when he said 'an accident' with such a perfect intonation, and clapped when he said he found the secret to life. He didn't even notice the shift in his train of thought as he watched and gave little comments, making sure everything was going well. He had to do a little more explaining at the part where Riza, playing the rock-headed-Rocky, was first introduced. They had to repeat that a few times, because she kept moving under the fabric covering her, but eventually they got it right, and he couldn't help but smirk at the expression on Havoc's had an idea for her outfit, but nothing was prepared yet, which was a shame because he was sure she really did hide a perfect body under her uniform – and he knew Jean felt the same. He was pretty sure the lieutenant actually wanted to see that more than Roy, but he wasn't going to bring that up. He used the playback for the song for now – except for Havoc, no one seemed to grab the idea and he realized he was going to have to have a separate rehearsal for that.

It was hilarious to watch the interaction between Jean and Riza after the song, and the way the blond man appreciated her made Roy even more certain of his assumptions – though this train of thought was cut off by inner laughter when Schezka said that Riza was 'just okay' and the little Frank-tantrum started. It was hard not to let the laugh break out at Ed's acting, over-done but perfect for the scene, and his thoughts trailed towards the dangerous path of appreciating him again – but Jean saved the situation again, and by the time the next song was played, no one was left without at least a wide smile.

The following scene, finally introducing Breda's character, made every last remaining thought about Ed disappear. He was surprised that he, too, seemed to manage the singing – and quite well, in fact – and it was even more hilarious to see how well Schezka seemed to connect with her character, even though there was a bright pink blush on her cheeks at during the whole thing. Well, that's why he was making them work harder – they needed time not only to master the scenes and the lines, but also their own emotions and embarrassments.

By the time the second half of Havoc's song ended, Roy realized they already spent three hours in the office. He couldn't believe how fast the time passed. But when he glanced at his script to see what the next scene was, all the good atmosphere ebbed, and he felt a strange kind of nervousness. It was exactly the scene Ed played out for him last night – and the mere thought made his insides turn. He knew that his decision to be professional about the whole thing will probably falter if he witnessed that scene again, especially since they were in the same room. The image of Ed hovering over his table, the memory of the touch of his mismatching hands – it all came back to him in a tide. He wasn't sure he was ready to test his self restraint about this yet; what if he loses his self control if he sees Ed doing the same things to somebody else?

He was ashamed to admit it, but he felt his chest clenching in protest at the thought. Suddenly, this play didn't seem like a very good idea. It was a part of what was causing Roy to view the boy as older than he really was. There was nothing childish about the way he spoke or moved, all stripped by the character he was playing and fading into something more sexual.

It started out as a joke, but it seemed that now the tables have turned, and it became an evil joke on him.

"Boss?"

Havoc's voice shook Roy from his thoughts, and he looked up at his crew. There were many pairs of expecting eyes, looking at him and waiting for instructions for the next scene. He could see a hint of weariness in each pair, and knew that he wasn't much better. However, that wasn't what bothered him. Honey-coloured eyes were glued on him, not weary or questioning like the others but exploring.

Ed noticed his hesitation, and was now trying to read through him. Roy couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on behind those sharp eyes: did he understand that everything until now was a mask? Or did he think Roy was pausing because he was remembering and regretting, rather than wishing it would happen again?

No. He must stop thinking like that. And he couldn't handle seeing this scene played in front of his eyes again so soon. When Falman grabbed a chair – one of the several they dragged into the room at some point – and sat down, Roy finally made up his mind.

"That would be all for today. You all seem exhausted. I know it's the weekend tomorrow, but there's no point continuing right now. You've all done a very good job, as always. Hawkeye, we're going to need to work on your character a little more," he said. Even after doing the same part over ten times, she still was stiff and obviously uncomfortable. "Have a great weekend everyone, I will see you all on Monday. Don't forget to practice – "

"Hey, boss, permission to talk?" Roy stopped talking when he heard Jean's voice. A cigarette was already tucked between his teeth, ready to be lighted. He raised an eyebrow, but allowed him to talk anyway. "It's weekend, and I think we all had stressful two days and very busy two weeks." His words were followed by nods and murmurs of agreement. "And… well, I don't know about you guys, but I didn't get the time to have fun in a while and, well, since we're all here and there's no work tomorrow, I thought it could be nice if we could go out together. As a group. Besides, after this rehearsal I'm really in the mood for some drinking, and I'd love to do so with all of you instead of by myself."

Roy was surprised at that. He knew he shouldn't be – it only made sense. He knew how rehearsals went – a lot of time the crew ended them with a night out, but this was different. They were in the military, not in a theater – but the second wave of agreeing mutters made Roy realize that it didn't matter. During the last two weeks they connected beyond the bonds of coworkers. They were spending too much time together for that, were sharing too many embarrassing moments to keep the distance, and he had to admit that drinking a little bit, loosing up a little bit, could only do them good.

That was until he met Ed's eyes again, and the little mischievous spark that danced in them.

"I don't know, Havoc. It looks like people are too tired – "

"I actually like that idea," said Hughes, a big smile on his face. "Nothing like a night of drinking and hanging out to relax and get us closer."

"We have a minor in the group, we can't go 'drinking'."

Roy almost wanted to hug her, although that urge faded when her protest was declined easily by Breda. "I don't think it would matter that much, actually. He's coming with us, and if anyone bothers to ask he could probably just show his watch and they'll leave him alone." He had to admit that the big man had a point – in a group of about twenty adults wearing the military uniform, no one was going to pay them any attention. And the watch really was, ideally, a sign of being a grown up. But that did not change Ed's age, or the fact that Roy knew it was an extremely bad idea to let him drink… or letting himself drink around Ed. It was hard to control himself as it was.

With alcohol in his system? It would probably be impossible, even if he just has one beer.

Riza's rebuking voice cut through his panicked thoughts. "But he's not allowed to drink!"

"I don't think it's a smart idea either," he contributed, hoping they will listen to him. He could see Fullmetal now, glancing between them as the argument went. He could see that he was debating, but he couldn't figure out about what.

"I can take care of myself," he said. "Don't even want to drink that much, but hanging out sounds fun. And can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?"

"No, Edward, you're – "

"Oh, come on. He's with us. We'll keep an eye on him," this time it was Havoc again, and Roy felt like strangling him. He loved Jean, but he didn't appreciate him pushing the subject. Unfortunately, this was regarding personal life rather than army-related, so he couldn't just order him to stay. It wasn't like he'd listen to him anyway. "Besides, he said he won't be drinking. Come on, everybody needs a little time out. There's nothing wrong about that."

The only options Roy had left when the third wave of agreement was heard were either to give in, or to exclude himself.

With a heavy sigh, he chose the first, watching the huge smiles on his crew's face as he wished he won't regret this decision.


	14. Chapter 12

_**A/N:** Actually on time, chapter 12 is here!_

_Hope you'll enjoy this one :P_

_I know I did._

* * *

**Twelfth Chapter**

**.**

**.**

Ed was confused since noon, when the older man found him in the library. He could still remember the ting of excitement upon seeing him, quickly replaced by shame and something close to disbelief when he noticed the stern expression on his commander's face. That wasn't what he wanted to see there – in his half sleepy state he still had hope that maybe Mustang felt the same way as he did; maybe he wished the phone never rang and they could see where what they shared could develop into. But no; he didn't even allow Ed the benefit of the doubt. He was angry at first, furious to have been fooled like that.

He was even more confused at the rehearsal, when, just like it was before, the colonel's stare didn't leave him, causing prickly sensations at the back of his neck every time he turned his look away. It surely didn't help when he noticed him glancing at the script, reading a little bit before he tensed and called it a day – and Ed was a perfectionist. When he decided to pull that show last night, he was practicing for so long he knew the three scenes before and ahead of that scene by heart as well. He knew what was supposed to come next, and he had no other explanation for Mustang's retreat but the fact that he was scared to see Ed playing that scene for someone other than him. He knew that, because at the beginning of the rehearsal Roy claimed they were going to have to stay late, and yet he called it a day at the same time as every other evening.

The confusion continued when Havoc suggested they continue the evening at a bar, and Roy met his eyes and suddenly protested against the idea. Ed could only read it one way – he was afraid of what might happen. As for himself, he wasn't sure if it was an awesome idea or a terrible idea. Him, Roy, and the rest of the crew up until the late hours of the night, drinking, could either go very, very right or horribly wrong. But he wasn't going to miss an opportunity, and when Havoc and Hughes defended the idea and his right to come along, he joined them.

He let out a huff, and tried to get a little more comfortable. He soon realized that unfortunately, that was impossible – stuck between Breda and Ross, there wasn't much room for him. Fortunately, though, Armstrong was sitting in the passenger's seat next to their driver, which meant he could at least breathe. He was starting to doubt fighting for this, but either way, it was too late now. Four taxis were already on their way from Central to the bars district of town, and even if he spoke up now no one would bother listening to him.

Instead, he was forced to listen to the dull conversation about work and other random stuff, while all he wanted to do was to plan his course of action. He wasn't sure that he wanted to do anything; after all when they talked at noon, Mustang gave no sign that last night meant anything; but everything else about him told him a completely different story. Ed frowned, attempting to think despite the constant chatter around him, but the sound of his name made him snap out of it and look around.

"Huh?" he asked, looking around the car. He noticed that all three soldiers were looking directly at him. "You asked something?"

"How cute, he's so nervous he didn't even notice we were talking to him!"

Maybe she was a girl, but at that moment all Ed wanted to do was punch Ross in the face for that statement. He didn't, though; mostly because she really was a girl, even if her hair was always cut short. Shorter than some of the men he knew (and himself, but he knew that he was no example). He wasn't cute, and he didn't know they were talking to him because he didn't pay attention to what they were talking about, because they were boring – and not for any other reason.

"I'm not nervous, I was just thinking. Now what d'ya want?"

"I was wondering if this is going to be your first time out at a bar," said Breda with a broad smile. "Because – you know – you're young."

"And don't really strike as the kind who goes to that kind of places, to be honest."

Ed huffed, but generally calmed down. They weren't making fun of him – they were trying to let him join in on their conversation. He never really tried to connect with the people he worked with. He knew they cared about him – and hated it, because it meant that despite everything he did to prove that he wasn't a kid and didn't anyone to care for him because he was damn well capable of doing so himself didn't work – but he never thought of befriending them. The thought arouse a new kind of nervousness in him. He didn't know how to be friends with people. He only had Winry, and she was a freak.

"Whatever," he answered, shrugging carelessly and looking out of the window again. "I don't strike as a lot of things that I am."

He heard a chuckle, and assumed it was Breda. "True that."

"We're here," announced Armstrong, and Ed noticed the slowing pace of the scenery outside the window and felt the car stopping.

Doors were opened, and all four got out of the car after paying the driver. The rest of the team already stood on the sidewalk, chattering and waiting. They couldn't have arrived there long before them as the four taxis left together, but Ed already felt a little alienated. He really wasn't the type for this kind of gatherings.

He intentionally overlooked Roy, and made an attempt to crack a smile when Hughes and Havoc greeted their group before telling everyone to stop wasting time and just get into the bar.

Once they were inside, Ed couldn't help but glance around. He'd been to bars before – it was amazing, the effect his State Alchemist pocket watch had on people. However, he only entered country-side bars at remote places, for the sole reason that they always were his inn's restaurant and he didn't have much choice if he wanted to eat. They were nothing like this one.

Here it was dark – so dark he could barely see where he was going; the places he'd been at weren't exactly well-lit, but at least he could see what he was eating. And it was louder, not just with people's chatter since it was almost empty but with music. So much so that he had to make an effort and hear Mustang's voice telling them all to sit somewhere while he did something – for the life of him Ed couldn't really hear what it was. He sat along with everyone, feeling, more than hearing, the scraping of chairs on the wooden floor as they brought more chairs.

They were all talking, and soon Mustang came back with a large tray, tiny glasses with clear liquid in them resting on top of it in almost perfect balance. Immediately the talking stopped, turning into cheering as everyone leaned in to grab a glass – and Ed did the same. He never drank alcohol; despite having previously visited places that served it, he stuck to juice. He knew the effects of the bitter drink – after all, he was a scientist. He knew it wasn't going to be tasty, and he definitely wasn't sure if it was a good idea to drink now, with the colonel drinking as well and the situation being the way it was; but on the other hand, he felt like he really needed that. There was no other way for him to survive this evening.

He reached to the tray once it was placed on the table they were sitting around, attempting to get one of the small tumblers, when a hand stopped him. "I apologize Major, but I'm going to have to stop you, you're too young to drink!" Ed looked towards the lieutenant, seeing the stern expression on her face and knowing he couldn't win this argument – and that he didn't mind it that much, either. He took his hand back.

"I think it's stupid," he said, unable to help having the last word.

"Give the boy a break, Hawkeye. He works hard just like the rest of us. One drink won't kill him," he heard Havoc call over the loud music, a hint of laughter in his voice. Ed wanted to get mad about being referred to as a 'boy', but a hand passed just next to his face and reached for the tray before placing a glass in his hand stopped him. "There, boss. We're here to chill, and you earned that one."

Ed closed his hand around the tumbler when it was placed there and stared at its content. He could smell the strong scent of alcohol even when it wasn't so near his nose, and now it was so sharp it made his insides swirl in protest, as if they were trying to convince him against treating them that badly.

"Come on, just down it. If you do it fast enough you don't even taste it, just don't leave it in your mouth," he could hear Jean's voice encouraging him with a hint of a mockery.

"This is probably not a good idea…" said Armstrong, who sat right next to him, but a second later Breda joined in to the small conversation.

"You can do it, boss! Just make sure to drink the whole thing at once, and don't choke on it."

"…or throw up, don't think any of us would like to clean it."

"Oh shut up, I'm not a kid, alright? I can handle that," Ed said, offended. He gave the clear liquid one last glare before he brought it to his mouth, gulping the drink in one sip. He placed the now-empty glass on the table in front of him right after. It took him a second to realize he was coughing and that his throat was burning. Soon his stomach decided to play revenge at him, and he winced at the need to get the poison out of his system. Closing his eyes, Ed focused on breathing and keeping control on his gagging reflex.

He heard some clapping around him and felt a hand placed on his back. "Way to go, boss. Try to keep it in; the taste will go before you know it."

"Shut up," he muttered, regretting speaking no more than a second after he did. He swallowed, and forced himself to get a grip before looking up at Havoc. "I'm fine. It wasn't that bad."

"Told you he shouldn't be drinking…"

"What are you talking about? He's coping just fine!"

"Uh, I'm right here, you know…" Ed said, surprised at how choked and husky his voice came out. He cleared his throat and then noticed the stern look from Riza, and looked away, not adding a word. He knew she won't threaten him like she does to Roy, but she still was scary. "I'm fine, anyway," he decided to say eventually, leaning back in his seat. The feeling in his mouth and throat was starting to get better, even though he could still feel the effects of what he'd just drank in his head. Not enough to make him even a little bit tipsy, but just enough to let him know that whatever that disgusting thing was, it was strong.

"You're a man now, boss! Congrats."

"No, you've got this whole thing wrong, Jean, that's what you say after the first time someone has sex," Ed's stare rose from the floor at that, and he glared, shocked, at Breda – but that didn't stop him from talking. "Not when they have their first drink, so I think we're going to have to wait a little with that declaration – right, kiddo?"

"Shut up," Ed hissed, and the heat in his face told him he was probably crimson red by now. Luckily enough, the place was too dark for anyone to notice. He hoped so, anyway. Thoughts ran through his mind, mostly involving himself and Roy and the obvious lack of clothes. He reached towards the tray, happy to see that there were still a few full glasses resting there, and grabbing one. He didn't even care that much that he knew it was going to be disgusting, he just had to have something that would take his mind off that track. He downed it just like he did with the first one, still grimacing at the taste but it wasn't as bad this time.

"Oh, so you do have a thing with that Rockbell girl! Do tell – "

"Havoc, not everyone has a dirty mind like yours. Will you leave him alone? It's not even appropriate to talk to him about these things yet! Don't encourage it!"

"Fine, fine… sorry boss, didn't mean to make ya nervous. Take your time with these things."

"Ugh!" Ed blurted, earning some amused laughs from Breda and Havoc, and he was sure he could hear Armstrong chuckle as well. Luckily enough, though, they dropped the subject, moving to talk about other things, and soon enough he could ease into the conversation without being afraid it would turn towards a less safe direction than gossip.

Time passed, few different conversations blooming within their obviously too big group, changing and dynamic like conversations tended to be. It was actually very interesting to try and follow the drift of it, but soon enough Ed found out he actually enjoyed it.

He had no idea how long they sat like that, chattering and drinking (even though Riza didn't let him order anything and no one brought back a huge tray like Roy did when they just got in, Jean and Heymans kept sneaking him sips when she wasn't looking). He even managed to join a branch of the conversation that had Roy in it and remain civil and not be uncomfortable.

In general, Ed had to admit that he wasn't suffering. He was actually enjoying this, even though it felt awkward at first. The place started to get crowded, but he didn't even mind that much by the tenth time someone accidently pushed him just to either go to the washroom to get the beer out, or from the washroom to the bar to get beer in. Of course, that made the people he was currently talking with have one thing less to laugh about, but they found enough to laugh about by now that it was just fine.

That was, at least, until Ed heard a sneering sound right next to him.

"Came here to drown your sorrow in the bottom of a bottle, Colonel Mustang?"

The mocking voice made the little circle that heard him turn. A rather large man stood just next to them. He was wearing the military uniform, his rank shining in the dimmed light of the room, three golden stars to match the ones on Roy's shoulders.

The conversation died in a second, all laughter fading into the way too loud music, as anyone who heard him – meaning Breda, Ross, Armstrong and Ed – looked at Roy with a frown.

"Colonel Miller, funny seeing you here." Ed's eyebrow rose as he watched the change in his commanding officer's face. Gone was the bright smile that adorned his face just a second ago, now replaced by his notorious smug smirk. "Didn't think you had the time to go to such places."

"I do when I have a reason to celebrate. I'm on to you, Mustang, so you can drop the fake mask you're wearing. Did you tell your men that your little show was cancelled? That they were working their asses off for nothing?"

"Oh, fancy you mention it, I was really wondering if I guessed right. Good to see my instincts are just as they used to be. For your information, the musical is alive and kicking. We're actually celebrating today." Ed noticed how Roy's smirk only grew bigger. It took him a second, while he watched Roy picking up his glass and sipping from it. "Noticed you're here on your own? Was it a bad day at the office?"

The man who apparently just joined them – Miller or whatever – narrowed his eyes, and Ed was pretty sure he was red with anger, but he couldn't tell for sure in the dark room. It didn't matter that much, though. The moment Ed assimilated the fact that this man was probably the one responsible for McKinley dragging him to that interrogation room, asking him horrible questions about his relationship with Roy and making such horrible accusations – that was the moment when it didn't matter much what happened next.

Ed hated his guts.

"How come the stupid show you're putting still runs? It was inappropriate and against the rules, and, frankly, Mustang, I expected more from you than to use your rank on someone as little as Major Elric – "

That was it. As if accusing Roy of molesting him wasn't enough, now he had to go and use the 'L' word on him. Hearing someone next to him muttering something like "oh no he didn't just say that" Ed launched from his seat and grabbed the front of Colonel Miller's uniform shirt, bringing him up close and snarling at him. "Said what now? About Major Elric?"

"Fullmetal! Let go of him."

Ed didn't even bother to look sideways at Roy when he heard his somewhat angry voice – although the ordering tone wasn't good enough to cover up the amusement.

"Oh, it's you? You really are tiny, aren't you – "

Ed growled, and before he even registered the hand on his shoulder that was trying to hold him back he brought up his fist. Gaining some leverage, he hit the man's face, angry enough to simply not to care about his rank. The alcohol was helping a bit with that, as well.

"Don't. Call. Me. Short." Ed hissed between gritted teeth, only letting go of the man – who was now bent and holding his nose with his hand and glaring at Ed with hateful eyes – when the hand that until now only held him pulled him backwards forcefully. He stumbled backwards, ignoring the snorts of badly controlled laughter before looking at the owner of the hand. Armstrong was looking meaningfully at him, with the rest of the group – now they caught pretty much everyone's attention – standing just near, watching.

"Let go, Fullmetal, that's an order!" but despite the tang of anger, Ed could see that Roy was just as amused as the rest of them. Not that he did that to put on a show – that asshole piece of shitty colonel deserved what he got. He was lucky Ed used his left hand, too, because as far as he cared he deserved to be introduced closely to his right fist.

"But he's the asshole who tried to shut us down! And he called me little! He earned that."

"You're right, but – "

"Mustang, you'll pay for that. I know he's a minor, and getting him in here will get you in big trouble – "

"So will letting the higher-ups know that you're here, Colonel Miller. Aren't you on-call today? Orderly officers aren't allowed outside of the headquarters." Ed noticed the look of shock on Miller's face. On call? He wasn't even aware such a thing existed. But then again, that would explain why he could notice the occasional colonel-and-up ranks hanging around at night. "So you might want to keep quiet about that if you want me to keep quiet about you being here."

"You will pay for that, one way or another, Mustang – "

"What's going on here?"

Everyone's stare moved from what was going on between the three of them towards the new voice. It was a girl – Ed recognized her as the girl who'd been walking around, asking them if they needed anything. She was working here.

"Nothing – "

"Oh no, I've been working here long enough to know what I saw. You, my dear gentleman, have had enough. I won't let anyone start a fight inside on my shift. Out! All of you!" She glared at them – especially at Ed, who still had his fist in an incriminating position. When nobody moved, Ed could swear he saw flames in her eyes, and she reminded him awfully of Winry. He winced, somewhat expecting something to hit him in his head. Like a wrench. "NOW."

There was no further urging needed. That girl was scary, even without the mechanical equipment Winry had. With something like an apology, they started walking out. Ed shot one last hateful glare at Miller before following, narrowing his eyes at the sight of the girl next to him, looking like she was making sure he was alright.

Only once they were outside Ed realized just how loud it really was inside. He blinked, shocked that he could actually hear things other than the drums and bass of the music.

It took him a second to realize that the weird sound he was hearing now wasn't just the after effects of being forced to listen to way too many decibels, but the people around him laughing.

He raised an eyebrow. They were so drunk. A hint of a smirk crawled to his lips, but it disappeared when he realized his knuckles hurt from hitting that asshole's face. He was used to hitting people with his automail hand, not with his flesh one. He let out a surprised gasp when he felt someone hitting his back.

"As stupid as it was Fullmetal, it was damn awesome!" Ed glanced up to see Havoc hovering right next to him, partly using him for support as he struggled to remain standing rather than fall. "I've hated that guy for years and never had the guts to hit him like that."

"Yeah, well, I don't know him and I don't care – "

"Hey, Roy, is he really the guy who tried to shut us down?" Ed looked towards Maes. He was the one of the very few who didn't look – or smelled – smashed.

"He just admitted to that, didn't he?"

"Yeah…"

There was a moment of silence that was only broken by the music breaking through the bar's closed door and the occasional laughter. A moment later, another sound broke the silence.

"So since we got kicked out, how about we head home?" The attention was turned towards Riza. She seemed very moody – and yet another of the few who weren't dead drunk.

"We can go to another place," Jean said, and let go of Ed, stumbling on his own feet almost immediately. Luckily for him, Ed caught him.

"Or not. I'm just going to get us all taxis, we'll split it according to where we live."

An argument started, but Ed wasn't really paying attention. He glanced at Roy; he joined the argument at some point, but he wasn't sure if he was for going home or against it. He just couldn't help but think if he just screwed up big time by punching that guy, or if the confidence Mustang showed at the bar was for a good reason. He really did look angry when he told Ed to let go. What possessed him to do that? He knew the ranks, and he knew how the army worked. He knew he could go to prison for that, and Roy will get in trouble if that happened.

They both will.

He groaned. It was stupid. Going out tonight, insisting on making everyone treat him like an adult was stupid. It was fun, at first; but he probably just blew off any chance he might have had, and he hated that.

He was still grumpy and dwelling in his thoughts when he heard cars drawing near and Maes's voice telling him to get into one of them, while the others were still discussing who should ride with whom.

A few minutes later they were already on their way – Ed, just like before, stuck in the tiny space remaining, but at least this time his thigh was pressing against Breda on one side and the window on the other, rather than Breda and Ross. He tried not to think about the fact that on Breda's other side sat Roy, still in a rather good mood despite everything. Armstrong was sitting in the front, giving the driver directions to his house. Apparently, all three lived on the way to the headquarters, thus riding the same car as he did. He had no idea.

It was a rather awkward ride, and after they dropped Alex off at the gate of his mansion – and hell, it was some mansion alright – the chatter calmed down. Breda's house was, apparently, next, and the upcoming thought of being stuck alone in the taxi with Roy made Ed nervous and self conscious. Ed wasn't sure if it was just him, but it seemed to affect the atmosphere in the car.

Or maybe it was just the alcohol wearing off, being replaced with fatigue.

"Good night, sir, boss," Breda said when the car stopped. Ed opened the door and got out, letting Breda climb out before returning to his seat – much more comfortably now. Both he and Roy wished Heymans good night, and then he closed the door, and the driver started the car again.

"Two more stops, is that right?"

"Yes, Central headquarters and Rod street number twelve," Roy muttered, his tiredness obvious in his voice. Ed risked a glance in his direction, seeing his relaxed posture. He was staring outside the window, eyes open but Ed was pretty sure he wasn't really looking, and couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about.

After a moment of silence, the tension in the car was too much for him to bear. "Rod Street is like two blocks away from the HQ, isn't it? Didn't know you lived so close," Ed said, trying to sound casual. He knew it was strange – what with everything that happened, but tonight at the bar they seemed to manage to talk and be alright. "Doesn't that feel weird?"

"It's comfortable," came the answer, and the older man tore his eyes from the window, offering Ed a tired kind of smile. "I wouldn't have squashed here with Armstrong and Breda if it wasn't that convenient."

"Figures. You'd probably take the car with the girls."

Stupid. Idiot. Why did you have to say that?! The voice inside his head was furious, and Ed almost closed his eyes in frustration. Out of all the things in the world he could say. He really was an idiot sometimes.

"Probably," he heard Roy's answer, and tore himself out of his mental self beating. "Hey, don't take it the wrong way, but I appreciate what you did. I know I thanked you for that petition you started, but you really didn't need to."

"I know. It's fine," Ed moved uncomfortably. He wished the taxi driver would floor the gas pedal and just drive faster, and at the same time wanted him to stop and just give them all the time in the world. He wanted to make the most out of this situation, and knew he probably could, if he stopped being an idiot. But he wasn't sure he knew how not to sabotage this.

"It was really stupid, what you did today."

Ed grunted. "I know. My hand still hurts."

"Well, Havoc said it himself. You're a man now, so I'm sure you can handle it."

"I can handle much more, Mustang, in case you forgot that."

Roy chuckled. "No, I haven't."

There was another silence lying between them, the kind that told more than it hid. There was more to be said, and Ed knew that Roy felt that too. "We need to talk."

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but then realized he didn't really know what to say. His first instinct was to run from it – to say something stupid like there was nothing to talk about, or to push it to Monday where they will be back in the office. But since last night he wanted to do this, and knew he should. The fact that he couldn't sleep was more than enough of a proof of that, and despite the fact that he spent all day in the library to avoid just that, he wasn't the kind of guy who ran from his problems.

But that didn't mean he wasn't scared. It wasn't like all the other times he screwed up – he wasn't sure why, but this was different. He glanced up again, seeing Roy's dark eyes looking straight at him, no longer fuzzy from the alcohol but deep and exploring, as if he was trying to study him.

He felt the rush of blood to his face, but stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on Roy. He could feel the tension that still lay, thick and clear, between them, and couldn't help but wonder if Roy was thinking just what he was thinking – what would it be like if the phone hadn't rang last night. What did Roy's lips feel like? Did he smell the same now as he did yesterday, of mint and a cologne Ed didn't know but that always surrounded him and filled his office with a faint tang of sandalwood and freshly cut grass? Was his hair as soft as it looked?

"Edward?" the sound of his name tore Ed from his thoughts, and he blinked. He noticed that Roy was a little bit closer now – not enough so he could think it was something conscious or meaningful, but it was just enough so Ed could reach out and touch him. He wanted to do just that – to find out the answer to his questions, and screw everything else. He could vividly remember the way the colonel touched him last night. It wasn't a part of the play, it wasn't Roy's job to play the part. He did it solely because he wanted to. He could remember the sound of his heart pounding and his warm breath brushing against his skin and knew he didn't imagine any of the signs, because the look Roy was giving him now was far from professional.

It was a decision made in a split of a second. He closed the distance, knowing it was probably a mistake but he simply couldn't hold back any longer. He could feel Roy tense when their lips touched, and for a scary second he was sure the man was going to push him away – but he didn't. Instead, Ed could feel his shoulders relaxing and the air escaping from his lips as he gave in to the kiss.

Edward thought his chest might explode from how fast his heart was beating. No matter how much he convinced himself that what he saw was real, it was nothing like actually feeling it. It was like learning to breathe again – like until now he lacked oxygen and now suddenly had it in abundance. He gasped when Roy moved forward, his hand rising to hold on Ed's jaw, keeping him in place so he won't move away.

As if.

He couldn't help a soft moan when Roy pushed his tongue into his mouth, and Ed was more than happy to comply with that. He parted his lips, inviting the older man in and raising his hand to hold onto Roy's nape. He could feel his short hair tickling his hand but he didn't care as he pulled him closer and leaned in. He could feel the buttons of Roy's shirt pushing against his chest, and there was nothing he wanted to do more right now than to pop them open, tear those clothes away and offer everything he could give.

The kiss grew more desperate; he wanted to taste Roy, wanted to feel as much of him as possible, and he felt himself almost falling backwards as he struggled to find enough balance to keep seated as the car turned a sharp corner. The kiss broke, but only for a fraction of a second before Roy found him again, attacking his lips with even more passion, as if that was the one thing he craved for – and Ed wanted to believe that, with all his might. A swear escaped his lips, muttered breathlessly into Roy's mouth. His mind exploded. He wanted the kiss to last forever, and at the same time his body was starting to make demands to take it further.

Somewhere, at a corner of his consciousness he didn't really care for, Ed could hear the voice of the taxi driver muttering , "Just one stop, then. Rod Street it is."

Ed couldn't help but smile happily when Roy didn't correct him.


End file.
